Sunset to Sunrise
by TragicallyMagical
Summary: I was just thinking about all of the possible outcomes of this. How one-or more than one- of us might not see the sunrise again. It would just be the sunset of our life…and that’s it… Seth imprint story. It's better than it sounds trust me!
1. Prologue

**so this is just a prologue...i have many ideas for this story **

**let me know what you think  
**

Prologue

I never believed in love. Ever since my parents split up I always thought love was just a myth. There are a lot of things I don't believe in, actually, such as magic and mythical creatures. I used to think it was all real once when I was about seven, but when I was supposedly becoming more 'mature' for my age my mother decided to tell me it was fake. I didn't want to believe her, but something told me that I had to grow up and move on. So since I'm moving to a new town and starting over I decided to look at things from a different perspective. It's just me and my mom now.

I'm moving to a little place in Forks called La Push. And right now I'm realizing how different this place is from my old home in Chicago. I don't really miss my old home though. It's just going to take some time to adjust to this new place, I guess.

I'm fourteen now and I am still deathly afraid of anything furry that has teeth and can bite, stupid I know, but if you got bit by a huge dog and had to get stitches because of it wouldn't you be kind of scared of it too? Well maybe not, but I won't have to worry about that here…hopefully…


	2. 1 Different

**so let me know what you think...i will post more if you think it's good... ;]**

Chapter 1

Different

The sound of rain hitting the windshield was disrupting the little nap I was trying to take in the back seat of my mom's car. I rolled on my side and put my hands over my ears so I couldn't hear it anymore, but it didn't work. I groaned and regrettably opened my eyes. I stared out the window as we passed each of the houses in this little place called La Push.

"How much longer?" I asked.

"Only a couple more blocks," my mom replied.

I sighed and stared out the window again. I finally saw people. I was kind of getting nervous because there didn't seem to be any human life form here, but now I knew that this wasn't some weird place. They actually looked normal. There were three tall boys, maybe a couple years older than me, all of them had really short, black hair and were all well built. They were kind of cute. As we passed them they stared at me through the window. I hid my face behind my hair and looked the other way.

When my mother finally stopped the car I didn't open up the door. I slowly turned my head towards the window and stared at the blue house that I saw. It wasn't too big and it wasn't too small. It was perfect for just me and my mom.

"Well, this is it," my mom sighed and turned in her seat, "Are you ready?"

I took one deep breath and nodded my head.

"It'll be fine Vanessa, don't worry."

"I'm trying not to," I said.

She patted my leg once and then she stepped out of the car. I slowly took off my seatbelt and touched the door. Then I finally opened it and took one step out and onto the wet sidewalk. The smell of dew and moss filled the air and the misty rain cooled me off. I walked over to the trunk, keeping my eyes on the blue house in front of me. My mom handed me my suitcase and I started to walk towards the house. I heard voices behind me and I turned my head around to see the three muscular boys walking towards me. They were all really tall and intimidating. I started to blush as they got closer and closer to me.

"Hey," I heard one of them say.

I shut my eyes tight and then turned towards them. I tried to look calm when I saw the tallest one smiling at me.

"Hi," I shyly replied.

"You must be Vanessa Brooks," he held out his hand, "I'm Jacob Black."

I slowly reached my hand out and shook his hand. He chuckled.

"You know my name?" I asked.

"Yeah everyone's been talking about the new girl."

I sighed, of course what was I thinking. I looked at the other two boys who were standing next to him. One looked older than Jacob and the other looked about my age. The younger one was smiling at me. I smiled weakly and then looked down at the ground.

"I'm Seth," I heard a voice say.

I looked up to see the younger boy standing right in front of me and reaching his hand out to shake mine. The other two boys laughed. I shook his hand and he didn't stop staring at me. It was like he saw something that amazed him or shocked him. He didn't seem to recognize the other two boys anymore it was like he only saw us two standing here. Jacob pretended to clear his throat and nudged Seth.

He snapped out of his trance, "Hey, if you need someone to show you around I'm always available. I only live two houses down from here."

I chuckled, "I'll keep that in mind."

"Good," he flashed his perfectly white teeth.

I started to blush.

Then the older boy hit Seth in the arm, directing him to leave.

"I'm Sam, by the way," he quickly waved and I waved back. Then Jacob and Sam started walking away while Seth still stood in front of me. He was staring intently at me. I giggled a little and then I started to feel embarrassed.

"Seth, let's go," Sam shouted.

He turned around, "One second."

Then he turned back to me.

"Bye, it was nice meeting you," he said.

"You too," I smiled.

"Seth!"

"Coming," he shouted.

He quickly smiled at me and then ran off to catch up with the other two.

I bit my lip and walked up the front porch. I looked down the block, but I didn't see them anymore. They went somewhere in the woods because there wasn't another street that went that way. I wonder why they were going in the woods.

"Ness," my mom called.

I jumped and then I quickly walked inside.

"Sorry mom, I was just talking to some pe-,"

"Some boys," she grinned.

I rolled my eyes, "So you were spying on me."

"I was just curious."

I chuckled, "Right."

I looked around at the living room; it was cozy and seemed like home already. Then I turned around and looked at the kitchen. This was home and I was already starting to get used to it.

"Your room is upstairs Ness," she said.

"Ok."

I walked over to the staircase and walked up the stairs. There were two doors, one on the right and on the left. I walked past the single bathroom and went into the one on the right. It had boxes in it from the moving truck that said Karen's stuff. This was obviously my mom's room. I shut the door and went into the left door. My bed and my desk were already sitting in there. So I set down my suitcase on my bed and sat down on the chair by my desk. I sighed and traced my finger over the top of the wooden desk. Specks of dust started to fall to the floor. I guess I would need to clean. I was used to it though, it helped my mom out. I tried to help her as much as I could.

I got up from the chair and walked out of the room and down the stairs. I went into the box that said cleaning supplies and took out the duster. Then I ran back up to my room and closed the door so I could play my IPod while I cleaned. I dug into my suitcase and put the headphones into my ears. I put my IPod on shuffle and Love Story by Taylor Swift randomly came on. I danced around the room and sang to the lyrics as I dusted off the desk and started to unpack my suitcase and all of the boxes.

Once I was finished I laid down onto my bed and stared up at the ceiling. I thought about the three guys I met today Sam, Jacob, and Seth. Maybe they would be going to the same school with me. Hopefully they would, so I could know someone. I really hoped school would be ok.

Suddenly I heard a rustling from outside of my window. I sat up and stared over at the trees that were right by my window. I shook my head and laid back down on the mattress. I closed my eyes and listened to the rain as it hit my window. It was a peaceful sound. I let my thoughts run wild in hope that I could drift off and fall asleep. The rustling noise interrupted my thoughts and I jumped. I sighed and quickly stood up and walked over to the window. I looked to the left and then to the right, but didn't see anything, but trees. I shook my head and went back to my peaceful thoughts.

***

First day of school. I really hate those four words. Sure people already knew who I was, but they didn't really know who I was. All they knew was my name and that I was from Chicago.

I picked up my backpack and headed down the stairs. I went into the kitchen and the fresh smell of toast lingered through the air. My mom was rushing around the house and getting ready for her first day at her new job. I waited by the toaster and waited for the toast to pop up.

"I have to get going," my mom walked into the kitchen.

"Good luck," I said as she quickly kissed me on the cheek and rushed out the door.

The toast finally popped up and I quickly got a napkin and quickly buttered it. Then I ran out the door and walked down the steps. I took one bite and started walking. I looked at the houses as I passed them and I saw Seth coming out of the second house I passed. I kept walking, not knowing if he would think that I was weird if I just stood there waiting for him. I took another bite.

"Hey," I heard him say.

I slowly turned around, "Hi," I smiled.

"So do you want me to show you where the school is or were you going to keep walking aimlessly down the side walk?"

I chuckled. I guess I wasn't really thinking about how I didn't know where the school was.

"Could you?" I asked.

He smiled and we both started walking.

"So how do you like La Push so far?" he asked.

"It's peaceful here, better than Chicago, I have to admit."

He raised one eyebrow, "You have no idea," he mumbled.

I looked up at him and quickly finished the piece of toast that was in my hand.

"What's your family like?" he asked.

"My family?"

He nodded.

"Well, my parents split up about a year ago, so it's just me and my mom now."

"I'm sorry."

I shook my head, "Don't be."

We crossed the street.

"What about your family?" I looked at him.

"Well it's just me my mom and my sister. My dad died a couple of years ago."

I looked down, "Sorry."

"It's not your fault," he muttered.

I started to feel really bad for him. Yes, my dad left, but his dad died. It was way worse. I didn't want him to feel so sad right now so I decided to try and talk about something else.

"So you all live here in La Push."

"Yup, along with the rest of the Quileute tribe."

"Quileute tribe?" I stared at him in confusion.

He stopped walking for a moment, "Yeah, the Native American tribe."

"Can you tell me about it?" I said curiously.

"Maybe another time," he quickly replied and looked down.

I looked away from him. What did I say wrong? We kept walking down the side walk in silence.

"Look, if you don't want me to talk to you then I can leave the schools only a block away. I'm sure I can manage."

He looked at my face, "No, don't. I'm sorry it's just…hard to explain."

I nodded my head. He sighed and closed his eyes for a moment.

"So, what do you do for fun here?" I tried to change the subject.

He smirked a smile, "There're a lot of things to do here actually. Maybe, if you want to, we could hang out."

I grinned. Well I was already starting to make friends, that's a good sign.

"I would like that," I said.

"Great, then maybe after school you could come over," he looked hopeful.

"Sure," I smiled.

We finally reached the school.

"Ok, then let's meet up after eighth period."

"Sounds good."

He walked me to the office and helped me get my schedule. Then we walked down the hallway, passing Jacob and two other tall, muscular boys. It was weird, it seemed like all of them were well built and had really short hair. Maybe it's just a coincidence. The bell suddenly rang and I jumped. Seth chuckled.

"I'll see you later then," he said.

"Ok, see you," I replied.

He flashed his teeth for a second and then he turned around and started walking to his class. I walked the other way and glanced back a couple of times, smiling. Seth seemed like a nice guy, really nice actually. But I don't understand why he got all weird when I asked him about the Quileute tribe. Who knows, I wasn't going to get stuck into some weird situation though. Everything was normal and I was actually already starting to make friends. It was kind of nice to actually have a guy want to hang out with me. I was always too shy to ever talk to guys, but Seth was different, really different actually. And I was going to hang out with him today. So far La Push didn't seem so bad. I really liked it here and so far everything was normal and I wanted it to stay that way…


	3. 2 Trust

**read and review please!!!**

**MeetMeAfterDark.x- i hope that you think this writing technique is ok...ill try to figure out wht i can do**

**and i just wanted to let everyone know that this takes place after BD...**

**Disclaimor: i don't own Twilght Stephenie Meyer does...as much as i wish i could be that creative I'm not...  
**

Chapter 2

Trust

My first day of school here at La Push High School went pretty well. I met a couple girls, who I sat with at lunch and I talked to the rest of Seth's friends. Overall I was happy here and I was getting excited about going over to Seth's house after school. Last period seemed to go by so slowly. Maybe it was because I was staring at the clock the whole time, just waiting for the bell to ring. And when it finally rang I jumped out of my seat and ran to my locker. I quickly got all of my books and stuffed them into my bag.

Once I was finished I searched for Seth. It wasn't hard to find him because he was one of the biggest guys in school, except for Jacob, Embry, and Quil who were slightly bigger than him. I stayed put and waited for him to come to me, thinking that he might think I'm weird for wanting to be by him so much. But I couldn't help it, he was the first chance I had for actually having my first real friend here. I stood by my locker and stared at him as he chatted with his friends and got his books out of his locker. When he was finished he seemed to be looking for someone. And then when he saw me he smiled. Was he really happy to see me?

He started walking my way and I took one deep breath as he passed all of the people. When he finally reached my locker I grinned and threw my backpack over my shoulder.

"Do you still want to come over?" he asked, politely.

"Yes," I quickly answered. I started blushing and turned my face away from him. He laughed.

"Let's go then," he said.

We both started walking towards the exit of the school. I glanced over at him and saw that he was staring at someone. I followed his eyes and saw Jacob walking past us. He gave Seth a warning type of glare and shook his head. Was I really that bad?

"Let me take that for you," he started to grab my backpack.

"No, it's really heavy."

He chuckled, "I'm sure I can manage."

He took my backpack off of my shoulder and threw it onto his. Now he had two backpacks to carry. That must be really heavy. When we got out of the school, the sun beat down on us. I took one deep breath and smelled the fresh air as we walked down the steps and onto the side walk. I glanced at his face once and saw that he was staring at me, so I quickly turned away, staring down at the scar on my arm and placing my hand over it.

"What's that?" he asked. I looked up and saw that he was pointing to my arm. I lifted my hand off of the scar.

"Oh, it's just a scar I got from an accident," I stated.

"What happened?"

I sighed. I'll probably sound like a big wimp.

"I got bit by a dog, a big huge vicious dog," I tried to make it sound horrifying, but I don't think it worked because Seth started to laugh hysterically.

"What's so funny?" I asked.

He started coughing and tried to hide his laughter, "Nothing, nothing at all."

I looked away and crossed my arms over my chest. I really didn't think it was that funny. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe Seth isn't who I thought he was. I walked in silence and stared at the houses that we passed.

"Maybe this isn't the best idea, Seth," I said.

He stared at my face with a confused expression, "What do you mean?"

"I mean, that maybe we're better off as not being friends."

I wanted to try to be friends, I really did, but I don't know if he's just doing this because he feels sorry for me.

"Did I do something wrong?" he asked.

I shook my head.

"Then what's the problem."

I sighed and stopped walking.

"The problem is that it seems like you're just doing this because you feel sorry for me. I mean you really didn't have to laugh when I told you about how I got the scar."

I started to walk off, but he grabbed my arm. I tried to pull out of his grip, but he was stronger than me. And his hands were really warm. That was strange. I turned around and faced him.

"What do you want, Seth?"

"Look, I'm sorry if I'm being rude, but you need to understand that…" he didn't finish his sentence.

"That what?" I stared into his eyes, "If we're going to be friends you need to tell me things and you need to trust me."

He was silent.

"Look, if there's something you don't want to tell me, then I understand. But please just know that you can trust me."

He looked at my face, "Friends?"

I smiled, "Friends."

Then we started walking again. I looked at the two backpacks he had on his back and was confused because he seemed to have no hard time with carrying them. Well he was pretty muscular so that's probably it. And I'm so weak, so it was probably not even hard for someone who's my size.

"So are you afraid of dogs?" he asked.

I chuckled, "Yes."

He shook his head and sighed. What did I do wrong now?

"Why do you ask?" I said.

"No reason, just curious."

"Ok." I looked down at the ground and stared at both of our feet as we kept walking. We were almost there, only a block away now.

"I have to warn you, my sister Leah is vicious. If she tries to bite your head off just run away," he kidded.

I laughed, "I'm sure she's not that bad."

"Oh, trust me she's bad."

I shook my head and rolled my eyes as we walked up the steps to his house. He opened the door for me and directed me to walk inside. I took one step into the house and looked all around me and realized how similar it was to my new house. It was cozy and warm, it made me feel right at home. He led the way to the kitchen, where his older sister was standing. When she turned around and saw me she glared at Seth. Her eyes flashed between us.

"Leah, this is Vanessa," Seth said.

I smiled and reached my hand out to shake hers, but she refused to touch my hand. I looked up at Seth and pulled my hand away.

"Seth, can I talk to you in the living room for a moment," she scoffed.

Seth sighed, "Wait here," he told me.

I nodded my head and he pulled out the seat so I could sit down.

"Now Seth," Leah shouted.

He shook his head and leaned in close to my face.

"I told you she was vicious."

I giggled and he walked into the other room. All I could hear was whispers. I tried not to listen so I went into my backpack and took out one of the notebooks in there.

"Are you serious Seth?!" Leah screamed.

"Shh," I heard Seth say.

I took out a pen and glanced over at the doorway that led to the living room.

"Her?!"

Well I guess Leah doesn't like me too much. I didn't think I was that bad though. I started to doodle on my notebook.

"What are you going to do?" Leah's voice sounded a little bit calmer.

I kept my head down and drew swirls all over the page.

"Stay out of this," Seth said.

I heard his footsteps coming into the room and I tried to look like I didn't hear anything they just said. He sat in the chair next to me and shut his eyes.

"I'm sorry you had to hear that," he apologized.

"That's ok, I'm used to it." When your parents fight all the time the screaming just sounds like a natural noise.

I heard the door slam.

"Leah doesn't seem to like me already," I pointed out.

"It's normal for her. She has a hard time dealing with certain things."

I looked at his face and tried to understand what he meant. He finally looked at me and smiled a warm, inviting smile.

"Do you want to go down to the beach?" he asked.

I thought about it for a moment.

"Yes," I answered.

"Good, let's get out of here."

He quickly got up and I followed after him. He opened the door again for me and I stepped outside. The sun was starting to set and it made the sky look orange. It was a beautiful sight. I stared up at the sky and smiled.

"Sunsets like this look better by the beach," he stated.

I glanced over at him.

"Come on, if we hurry we can make it before it gets dark."

"I don't mind the dark," I said.

He chuckled, "You should."

I rolled my eyes and we walked down the side walk, staring up at the orange sky.

"Sunsets like this are rare since it's always raining here. Rain is better for some people who prefer not being out in the sunlight though."

That's strange, who wouldn't like the sun?

"And most of us Quileutes prefer the sunlight."

I looked at him, "Can you tell me a little bit about the Quileutes now?"

We walked in silence for a moment and I waited for his response.

"I can't."

"Why not?" I asked.

He sighed and turned towards me, "It's not that I don't trust you, it's just too soon…"

I looked down in disappointment. How is it too soon?

"Well is there any time when you can tell me?"

"Maybe, if you stick around."

I didn't know how to respond to that statement. Why would he think that I wouldn't stick around?

We crossed the street and finally made it there in time. Some of Seth's friends were there. I would understand if he wanted to hang out with them rather than me. I wasn't that fun. I looked out into the distance and stared at the sun as it started to hide behind the sea. The wind whistled in my ear. I looked to the side of me and saw that Seth was still standing next to me.

"You can hang out with your other friends if you want to," I said.

"I'm sure they'll be fine without me. Besides, I came here to hang out with you, not them."

I looked over at Sam, Embry, and Quil. They were all glaring at Seth and me, me especially. I hid my face behind my hair so they couldn't see me. Then I turned my attention back to the setting sun. The sky was starting to turn to a peach color.

"It's beautiful," I commented.

He looked at me and smiled, "It could be better."

I rolled my eyes and grinned.

As the bright sunlight started to fade and the moon's glow started to light the air Seth and I sat there on the beach, talking and laughing and making jokes with each other, like friends are supposed to do. It was nice to know that I was actually making friends here and one really good friend.

Suddenly my cell phone started vibrating in my pocket. I jumped and quickly took it out. It was my mom.

"Hello?"

"Where are you?!" she screamed.

"Relax mom I'm just out with a friend," I said, hoping that it would calm her down.

"A friend?" she asked.

"Yeah, Seth mom," I glanced at him and he was smiling.

"Well you need to come home now, it's dark outside."

"What am I three years old mom?"

"I know, but it's just a new place and I don't want you getting hurt," she said.

"I'll be fine mom, Seth's a big guy," I chuckled.

"Just come home please, tell Seth you'll see him tomorrow."

I groaned, "Fine, bye."

Then I quickly hung up the phone and stood up. I brushed all of the sand off of myself and Seth stood up.

"I have to go, my mom's getting all worried."

I really didn't want to go, I was having a lot of fun.

"Can I walk you home, then?" he asked.

I nodded and smiled. Then we started walking down the beach and headed home. He stared at me closely the whole way and I blushed in embarrassment. It was like he was trying to protect me or something. I've never seen someone watch another person so closely. But he did make me feel safe. And that's all that matters I guess.

When we reached my house he walked me up the porch steps.

"I'll see you tomorrow," I said.

"Do you want to walk to school with me again?" he asked.

I nodded and twisted the door knob.

"Bye," I whispered.

"Goodnight," he replied, "Stay safe."

I looked at him in confusion, "I will," I said.

He smiled and I slowly closed the door, keeping the image of his face in my head so it wouldn't fade. I leaned against the door for a moment and thought about him for a moment. Then I walked into the kitchen and found my mother cleaning the dishes. I walked over to the sink where she was standing and took a towel and started drying the plates that were sitting in the sink.

"Did you have fun?" my mom asked.

"Mhm," I replied in a happy tone.

"I'm glad you're starting to make friends," she kissed the top of my head.

"Yeah," I thought about Seth for a moment.

"Who knows maybe you'll even have a boyfriend," she raised one eyebrow.

I shook my head, "Doubt it."

"Well then who's that Seth kid?"

"He's just a friend, mom."

"For now," she smiled.

I rolled my eyes and put away the plates that I just dried. It was getting kind of late so I decided to get ready and go to bed.

"Night mom," I said as I walked up the stairs.

"Goodnight honey," she replied.

I went into the hallway closet and picked up a towel and a rag. Then I washed my face in the sink and took a quick shower.

After I finished getting cleaned up I changed into my old pair of sweatpants and an old t-shirt and put my hair up into a ponytail. I went into my bedroom and set my alarm clock for the morning and then I hopped into bed and buried myself under the covers. I shut my eyes and tried to drift off into a deep sleep, but I kept thinking about Seth. I thought about how he stared at me protectively on the way home from the beach and how he said 'stay safe' to me when I got home. It was as if he knew there was danger and as if he knew that he had to be careful. I didn't understand why he wouldn't tell me about the Quileute tribe either, but maybe there was a reason. Maybe the Quileutes were something different, something he couldn't tell me about.

I heard a low grumble coming from my window. I quickly sat up and stared out into the black night. I listened to see if I heard it again, but there was nothing, but silence. So I laid my head back down onto my pillow and dozed off again…falling into a deep sleep and hoping to dream about this great day that I had today…


	4. 3 Protector

**so i need some reviews to know if i should continue...**

**tell me what you think  
**

Chapter 3

Protector

I was standing in the forest alone. The sun was shining through the trees and the rays were hitting my face. I couldn't tell if this was real or a dream because everything seemed normal and I felt like I was awake, but there was also silence. I looked through the trees and I saw Seth walking towards me. He stood right in front of me and took both of my hands. Then he started to say something, but I couldn't understand what it was. His lips were moving, but there was no noise coming out of his mouth. I stared at him, dazed and confused because I couldn't understand what he was saying to me. But then, suddenly the whole world seemed to stop. I could hear him breathing in and out slowly and he took one big breath and was about to say something to me.

"I'm a-,"

_DING DING DING_

I quickly opened my eyes and sat up. My alarm clock was going off and it woke me up from my dream. He was about to tell me something.

"You're a what?" I whispered to myself. It was on the tip of his tongue and he was about to tell me, but the stupid alarm clock just had to wake me up.

I groaned and slammed my hand down on the off button of my alarm. Then I threw the covers off of my body and stumbled into the bathroom. My hair was all messy. Maybe I was rolling around in my sleep. I picked up my brush and tamed my hair, thinking about the vivid dream I had. It was weird because I've never had a dream that was that clear before. Maybe it's just because this is a new place, but who knows.

I walked back into my bedroom and got changed into an appropriate outfit for school and straightened up my room a little bit. When I was all finished and ready I walked down the stairs and grabbed a banana and headed out of the door quickly.

"Bye mom," I shouted as I opened the door.

I took one bite of the banana and walked down the steps and put my hood on because it was slightly drizzling. Then I started to walk down the side walk.

"Vanessa," I heard my name being called from behind me.

I turned around and smiled.

"Hey Seth," I said.

He caught up with me and we both started walking together. I broke off a piece of my banana and handed it to him.

"Thanks," he said as he shoved it all into his mouth at once.

I laughed, "Hungry?"

"I'm always hungry."

I rolled my eyes and we both walked together to school once again.

***

This day went by really quickly, thankfully. But gym went by slowly. I wasn't very athletic and I was never very good at sports. And today I got hurt. Of course I did, I always find a way to get hurt. We were playing basketball and I fell down on my ankle. I probably sprained it, no surprise there. So Casey, one of the girls I sit with at lunch, decided to help me walk to the office. I was such a wimp.

"Ouch," I yelped as I limped my way down the hall.

"We're almost there," she informed me.

We passed one of the classrooms and I looked inside. I saw Seth look at me and he started to get out of his seat. I waved my hand and tried to tell him to sit down, but he didn't listen. He went up to his teacher. I sighed in embarrassment. I must look really stupid right now.

He was at my side in an instant and he threw my arm over his shoulder.

"I'll take care of it," he told Casey.

She flashed her eyes between Seth and me once and then she smiled and walked away.

"You don't have to help me, go back to your class Seth," I said.

He shook his head, "I already told my teacher that I'm going home because I don't feel well," he pretended to cough.

I chuckled, "And he believed you?"

"It's not hard to pretend to be sick."

"I guess not," he walked slowly with me and when we got to the office he let me sit down on the chair. He sat down on the chair next to me and held my foot in his hands. It started to feel like it was burning. Like there was a fire set on my foot.

"Ow," I screamed.

He quickly took his hands off of my foot. The burning started to fade and it started to feel a little better. I stared at him in confusion. He was staring down at the floor. I quickly leaned over and took his hand, surprised when I realized how hot they were. He moved away from my touch and stood up and walked over to the woman behind the desk. She looked over at me and went into the back. She came out with a bag of ice and Seth quickly walked over to me and rested it on my ankle. The ice was already melted and it was just a bag of water now.

I glared at him as he stared off into space, trying to ignore me. Why were his hands so warm? If he was really that hot then he should be in the hospital right now, but he looked fine. I didn't understand how this could be possible.

"Are you really sick?" I asked.

He hesitated to say an answer, but then he turned towards me and looked at me like I was crazy.

"No," he chuckled, "I'm not sick at all remember."

"Then why do you feel like you have a fever?" I stared at his face. He looked calm, but there was a second of distress that I saw in his eyes.

"What do you mean?" he whispered.

"You know exactly what I mean, Seth."

I shouldn't have to explain myself anymore to him because he knew why I was asking this.

"I think we should get you to a doctor Vanessa," He stood in front of me and reached out one hand to help me stand up. I stared at it for a moment, and then I grabbed it, feeling my hand start to get hotter and hotter the longer I held his hand. I let go of it quickly and stared up at his face. He wasn't looking at me anymore. He threw my arm over his shoulder again and we started walking to the exit of the school.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"You're going to a doctor, an excellent doctor if I might add," he smiled.

"And how are we going to get there. I don't think I can walk the whole way."

"I can carry you."

I stopped, "Umm, no."

He laughed and pulled me up into his arms with no trouble at all. His hands warmed my skin from the cold rain when we got outside.

"Where's this doctor?" I asked.

"He'll be at my house."

He started walking down the side walk and headed for his house. I kept my arms wrapped around his neck and felt sort of embarrassed.

"Wait, how does he know ab-,"

"Trust me, Ness," it was the first time I hear him use the nickname my mom called me. No one really called me that except for my mom. It was strange to hear him say it.

The warmth of his skin didn't bother me out in the rain because it warmed me up. I would probably be shivering if it wasn't for Seth. And right now I didn't mind that his skin was abnormally warm even if I didn't understand why.

"Aren't you cold from the rain?" I asked.

"No, just wet," he kept walking, keeping his eyes on me, "How are you holding up?"

"I'm ok, just a little confused."

He sighed and looked off into the distance.

When we finally reached his house I saw a black Mercedes in the driveway. Seth carried me up the porch steps and managed to open the door with no problem at all. The doctor was waiting in the living room. My mouth fell open when he turned around and I saw his face. He was pale and had blonde hair and the most beautiful golden eyes.

"Set her down here, Seth," his voice was like bells chiming.

Seth laid me down onto the couch and grinned at me.

"Vanessa, I am Dr. Carlisle Cullen, I'm just going to check out your ankle and you tell me where you feel the pain, ok?"

I nodded my head and stared at him. How did he know my name? I never saw Seth talking to him on the phone or anything. He started to put pressure on my foot and I felt the pain already.

"Ouch," I yelled.

He looked up at me with his beautiful golden eyes and started to write something down on his clipboard. I glanced at Seth who was keeping his eyes on Carlisle and glanced at me every couple seconds. When the doctor turned back to me and started to put his hands on my foot again I was ready for the pain, but instead it started to feel better. His hands were ice cold, which soothed it. I didn't question the cold or think it was strange because it was making my foot feel better.

"It's not broken, so I would say to ice it for the rest of the day and you should be as good as new by tomorrow," he smiled and took his hands off of my ankle and went into the kitchen.

"How is it?" Seth asked as he sat down at the end of the couch, careful not to touch my ankle.

"It's fine," I said, staring at my foot from all sides.

The doctor came back into the room with a bag of ice and he placed it onto my ankle. It helped the swelling and it felt good. Seth shook the doctor's hand and walked him to the door.

"It was nice meeting you Vanessa; I hope your ankle feels better. And if it doesn't get any better than just call me."

I smiled genuinely, "Thanks."

Then he walked out of the door and Seth closed it behind him and walked back to the couch. I kept my eyes on him and he kept his on my ankle. I noticed a sudden change in him, like last night he started watching me protectively again.

"So, how did that doctor know about my ankle?" I asked.

He looked up at me, "I called him."

I raised one eyebrow, I knew he was lying.

"I didn't see you talking to anyone; you were next to me the whole time."

"Maybe you weren't paying attention," he laughed.

He looked back down at my ankle and stared at it, while I tried to figure him out. He was so complex and there was so much I felt like I didn't know about him. There was something he was hiding behind those dark, curious eyes, but I couldn't put my finger on what it was. And I would hope that he trusted me enough to tell me because I would understand and if I didn't I would try to.

"You know friends tell each other everything," I interrupted the silence.

He raised his head.

"I mean, I know we haven't known each other for too long, but I can keep a secret."

He half smiled and sat closer to me, making sure that he didn't hit my foot.

"Would you hate me if I told you I can't tell you everything right now?"

He flashed his white teeth at me and I knew I couldn't resist.

"Maybe," I said locking my eyes on his.

He chuckled, "Would it make you feel better if I promised to tell you soon."

I nodded.

He moved his face closer to mine, "Then I promise to tell you absolutely everything about me as soon as I know that you will understand."

I smiled, "Thank you," I whispered.

He sighed, "You're welcome."

I looked down at my ankle and saw that it wasn't as swollen as before. Seth took the bag of ice off of my foot and replaced it with another one, putting a towel over it so that he wouldn't melt the ice like last time. He stayed by me and watched over me protectively. I had to admit that I liked to think of Seth as my protector. It made me feel safe and it was like he really cared about me.

When it started to get dark I called my mom and told her everything that happened. Of course, she got all freaked out and started to worry so I had to get home. Seth helped me get up and walked me to my house. My ankle was starting to feel better from the ice so I'm pretty sure that I would be going to school tomorrow.

He walked me up the steps and opened the door for me. I smiled.

"Thank you, Seth, for everything," I said.

He smiled, "Ice your ankle when you get inside."

Again, he was trying to protect me, "I will."

I took one step inside the house and grinned at him as I closed the door. I limped into the living room and immediately laid down on the couch. My mom was making dinner in the kitchen.

"Ness?"

"Yeah, it's me."

"I'll bring you some ice," she said.

"Ok," I replied.

I turned on the TV and didn't feel like changing the channel so I just decided to watch whatever was on.

"Ew," I wrinkled my nose when I realized it was the news. My mom walked into the room with a tray table with food on it and an ice pack. She set the table down in front of me and the ice pack on my ankle.

"Thanks mom," I said.

She kissed the top of my head and walked back into the kitchen. I started to take a bite of the food on my plate and watched the TV at the same time. There was a story on about how the animal death rate in Forks is going up.

"Hunting season is coming up and now more than ever the death rate of wildlife has gone way up. Authorities say that people might have to hold off the hunting for another time. They have been finding dead carcasses in the woods, fully drained of their blood."

I cringed at the words.

"No one knows who or what is disturbing our little town of Forks, but we hope that the death rate will go down. Back to you Graham."

I turned off the TV and just ate my dinner in the peace and quiet. I could hear my mom washing the dishes in the sink and I closed my eyes for a moment. The ice on my leg reminded me of Dr. Cullen. I wonder why his hands were so cold and why Seth's hands were…warm. There must be something about them that makes them that way. Well maybe something made Seth that way, but there could be other reasons why the doctor's hands were cold. I took one last bite of my dinner and then I pushed it away. Then I sat up and slowly started to rise off of the couch. A bang on the window startled me and I gasped from the noise. I got up from the couch carefully and walked over to the window, searching for anything that could've made that big banging noise. The rain made it harder to see through the trees, but I could see a big dark figure sitting up in one of the trees and staring down at me with bright eyes that glowed in the darkness. I didn't know what this was, but it looked like it was watching…me.

I quickly backed away from the window and went to the staircase, carefully watching each step I took and glancing at the window a couple of times. The way it looked at me reminded me of something. I couldn't think of what it was though. All of the thoughts raced through my mind as I got ready to go to bed and let my ankle rest for a while. I left the ice on top of my ankle so that it could help even more and I closed my eyes. The bright eyes of the dark figure stayed in my mind as I dozed off and fell into a deep sleep…


	5. 4 Promises

Chapter 4

Promises

The rest of the week was pretty interesting. My ankle did heal after a day and that was one painful day. I could barely walk so I was basically late for every class, but Seth was nice enough to carry my books for me and help me get to my classes. I felt bad because he would be late after helping me, but every time I tried to tell him to let me do it by myself he would say 'I'd rather help you.' So I let him help me.

On Thursday my ankle started to feel better so I went out with Seth again and we hung out at Jacob's house. I was actually starting to become friends with all of them, well except for Leah. She still seemed to dislike me. Seth told me that she's just jealous, but seriously, why would she be jealous of me?

On Friday I asked my mom if Seth, Jacob, Sam, Quil, Embry, and the rest of the Quileutes could come over for a little party at our house. I did extra chores and I helped my mother more so that she would say yes and, surprisingly, she agreed. Well there was one exception; their parents had to come too, so that my mother could meet them. I said ok, just as long as she could keep them in the house while we stayed outside.

So I guess you could say that La Push was growing on me. I was changing my life around from one that I hated to one that I loved. And Seth, well what can I say about him, he's just the nicest guy I've ever met. Yeah maybe you could say I was growing a crush, but I don't know, he probably just thought of us as friends. No, he didn't tell me everything about him yet, but I had a feeling that it was something big…bigger than big actually. Something that would maybe change everything, which is probably why he wasn't telling me. He didn't stop watching over me protectively, especially this one time when a guy in school started harassing me. Well to make a long story short, Seth basically scared the kid away somehow. I don't know what he did, but I wasn't going to question it at this point. He was different, I could sense that and I knew that finding out how or why he was different might change everything. So why did I feel like it would be something I wouldn't want to hear, something I thought would never be true?

__

"Mom, I'm going to pick up some snacks for the party, I'll be back later," I shouted.

"Be careful."

"I will."

I walked out of the house and headed for the grocery store. I made sure to make a list of what I would need and knowing that there would be a bunch of teenage boys there I decided to get double of each thing. I walked up Seth's front porch and rang the doorbell. The cool breeze hit my face, making me feel cold. I started shivering and put on my sweater that I brought. Mrs. Clearwater opened the door and I greeted her with a gentle smile, while my teeth were chattering from the cold.

"Hi, Mrs. Clearwater," I said.

"Nice to see you again Vanessa, Seth should be down in a minute, you're more than welcome to step inside for a moment if you'd like," she opened up the door more and I stepped into the house.

"I'll go tell Seth you're here," she smiled and walked up the stairs.

I looked all around the room and stepped up closer to the fireplace, warming my hands and trying to get warmer before I had to go outside again. I stared at all of the pictures on the mantle, seeing Seth with his family and one with him and his father. I grinned and heard footsteps coming down the stairs. I turned around and Seth was already standing in front of me.

"Hi, ready to go?" I said.

"Yeah, let's go," he grabbed a jacket and both of us walked out of the house together.

He closed the door behind him and I zipped up my sweater, trying to make myself feel warmer from the cold breeze. Seth handed me his jacket that he had in his hand. I shook my head.

"Seth are you serious? It's freezing out," I pushed the jacket away from me.

"I'm not cold." He started to put it on me.

"Now, why doesn't that surprise me," I said, my teeth were chattering again.

I put my arms through the sleeves and Seth rubbed his hands on my arms, using his warmth to help me feel better. Knowing that he was warmer than anyone else didn't bother me anymore. I was used to it now. We started walking again and I didn't shiver anymore. I glanced over at him and realized that he was only wearing a t-shirt. I shook my head in disbelief and kept walking.

"So when do you think you can tell me everything?" I asked. I just wanted to know already.

"Ness-,"

"How do you know about that nickname? My mom's the only one who's ever called me that," I interrupted.

"I thought you liked it," he raised one eyebrow.

"I do, it's just no one knows about that nickname…except for my mom, and now you I guess."

He laughed, "It's not hard to figure out, you take Vanessa and eliminate the V and the A's."

I shook my head, why couldn't he just tell me already?

"Seth, please, I'll understand as best as I can."

"I know," he looked down at our feet as we walked on the wet concrete.

"Then what is it?"

We crossed the street by the light and the cold wind made me shiver again. Seth rubbed my arm and warmed me up again.

"And that," I looked down at his hand, "Why is your skin warmer than everyone else's?"

I slipped my fingers through his and felt how hot his hand really was when I squeezed it. I looked up at his face and he was looking down at our hands.

"Vanessa, you have to understand why I can't tell you right now. Trust me on this."

I hated that he kept this a secret from me. It was like he didn't even want me to know and I was just nagging him about it so he said he would tell me just so I would stop. I crossed my arms over my chest.

"I thought we were supposed to be friends, Seth."

"Ness, be-,"

"No, don't call me that anymore."

I stormed off and walked into the grocery store, getting a kart on the way and trying to go quickly so that he wouldn't catch up to me. I glanced down at my list as I walked up and down the aisles. I picked up chips and dip and drinks. I looked behind me and he wasn't there…good. I kept a steady, quick pace as I went searching for what was on my list. When I turned the corner I ran into someone. I looked up.

"Get out of my way," I rammed the kart into him, but it didn't do anything so I quickly swerved around him, but he grabbed the kart. I groaned.

"Please Vanessa, just talk to me."

"If you don't let go of this kart then I'm going to start a riot," I warned him.

He chuckled, "I'd like to see you try."

I glared at him and rammed the kart into his body again and again. It still didn't do anything, but the people around me noticed. He quickly went in front of me and held my arms.

"Stop, Ness," he whispered.

I felt a tear coming out of my eye. He stared into my eyes and noticed the tears coming out.

"Why don't you trust me?" I sobbed.

"I do trust you, it's just…"

He paused for a moment and I waited for a response. Then he sighed and let go of my arms, pulling one hand up to my face and wiping away the tears that escaped from my eyes.

"I don't want you to think of me any differently because of this."

I shook my head, "What you are doesn't make me feel any differently about who you are."

I looked around at all of the people who were staring at the two of us. I gripped the kart again and both of us started to walk into one of the aisles. Seth glanced down at me.

"Some riot, I thought you would've been a little more creative than that. Ramming into me with a kart was the best you could do?" he smiled.

I rolled my eyes, "It would've worked if you weren't so big and strong."

"True," he picked up something off of the shelf and threw it into the kart, "Do I scare you?"

I looked up at him and laughed, "No."I kept walking and picked up something else on the shelf and then I looked up at him, he looked a little disappointed or like he wasn't expecting that answer, "Why do you ask?"

"Because I think you will be," he sighed.

"Well I don't think so."

He snickered, "You're afraid of dogs," he pointed out.

"So, what does that have to do with anything?" I asked, confused by his response.

"Never mind," he looked away from me and got something else off of the shelf.

I kept walking down the aisle and thought about what he said to me. What did my fear of dogs have to do with any of this? I mean, yeah I was a big wimp, but it didn't make sense to me. None of the facts added up either. Like why he had warm skin, and how he was so strong and big and muscular. And why he watched over me so protectively. I didn't know how long it would take him to finally trust me enough to tell me absolutely everything, but I hope that he would tell me soon…

***

When we finished getting everything that we needed Seth walked me home and I decided to take a nap to pass the time by. But it probably wasn't a good idea because I started to have this nightmare. I was walking down the side walk, to school maybe. For some reason Seth wasn't walking with me like usual and I was alone. I stared at all of the houses that I passed and started walking slower when I noticed something…no someone in the distance. I could tell right away who it was, but he had his back turned to me. I started to run to catch up to him and I shout out his name so he could hear me, but he didn't turn around. And then, in a blink of an eye, something changed…no he changed. I slowed down when I finally reached him. He was shaking a lot and his hands were formed into fists. I touched his shoulder.

"Seth?" I whispered.

He quickly turned around and stared at me with eyes that burned through my skin and an expression that made me feel like I was in a horror movie. So I quickly turned the other way and started to run, but when I tripped and fell I knew I was doomed. I screamed as he got closer and closer to me. And then I finally woke up, sweating and panting like a dog. I put my face in my hands.

"It was just a dream," I kept repeating those words to myself.

"You ok Ness?" I heard my mom ask.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

I got up from the couch and went into the bathroom off of the living room. I splashed some warm water on my face and dried myself off with the towel that was sitting there. When I finished I stared at myself in the mirror, just thinking about everything and wondering why I had that nightmare. I groaned and walked out of the bathroom and up the stairs. I glanced over at my alarm clock and checked the time. It was already 4:43. Crap, how long did I sleep for?

I quickly picked out a pair of jeans and a t-shirt and got changed into them. Then I went into the bathroom and fixed my hair so it wouldn't look so plain and boring. Everyone was supposed to be coming over at five thirty and I still had to get everything ready. I ran out of the bathroom and flew down the stairs. When I reached the kitchen I saw that my mom already started to make some things to try and help me.

"Thanks mom," I shouted.

"No problem baby," she replied from upstairs.

I took out the list that I had written before, so I could be organized, and thought about what I had to make.

"Pizza, hot dogs, and hamburgers," I sighed.

Well I guess I should start the hamburgers. I went into the fridge and saw that my mom had already made the meat. The door bell rang and it made me jump. I quickly fled to the door and opened it up. I smiled when I saw him.

"You're early," I said.

"I thought you that might need some help," he winked as he stepped into the house.

I closed the door behind me and went back into the kitchen while Seth followed closely behind me. I took some of the stuff that we would need out of the fridge and set them onto the counter.

"So, what should I do?" he asked.

I handed him a knife, "Can you cut these tomatoes without getting hurt?" I looked up and smiled.

He laughed, "Yeah I'm pretty sure I can do that," he took the knife and started chopping the tomatoes into slices while I put the chips into bowls. I laughed at him.

"What?" he said.

"I think you need one of these to top it all off," I handed him an apron that said kiss the chef and he put it on.

I started laughing hysterically, "It's perfect."

He shook his head with a smile and quickly took it off of him, "I am not wearing that."

"Aw come on, Seth," I pleaded, "You look cute."

Did I just say he looked…cute? I must sound so weird right now…

He grinned at me and went back to cutting the tomatoes. I started blushing in embarrassment and went into the cabinet to grab a plate.

"Damn it," Seth scoffed.

I quickly glanced over and saw that he had a big cut on the palm of his hand. The blood started to come out and it sort of made me dizzy.

"Let me get you a towel."

"No, don't."

I walked into the bathroom and got a towel out of the closet. Then I quickly hurried back into the kitchen.

"Here," I handed it to him and looked down at his hand.

It looked perfectly fine, there was no blood and not even a scratch. He looked as good as he did before.

"There was a cut…on your hand…" I grabbed his arm and closely examined his hand. There wasn't any blood either. I stared up at his face in confusion, "Seth, how-,"

"I can't explain it," he pulled his arm away.

"Why not?! Stop hiding things from me, Seth!"

He looked down.

"So much for trust," I sighed and went back to what I was doing.

I heard my mom come into the room, "Everything ok in here."

I looked up at Seth and glared at him, "Yeah, everything's fine."

He glanced at me and shook his head. And when my mother left the room he stopped chopping and turned his body towards me.

"Vanessa, I know you think I'm doing this because I don't trust you, but that's not true."

"Oh yeah, then what's the reason?" I asked.

"I just think its best this way."

I stopped what I was doing, "Who is it better for…you or me?"

"You, I'm only thinking of you."

I snickered and shook my head.

He grabbed the knife out of my hand. I looked at him as he cut his palm again. My eyes widened when the blood started rushing out and I started feeling dizzy. I grabbed the counter top so I wouldn't fall, but I kept my eyes on his hand as it started to…heal.

"How did y-,"

"It's who I am, Ness. I'm not human," he started to explain and I listened intently.

When he opened his mouth to speak again I was ready for it.

_Ding Dong_

The doorbell interrupted us and I looked into the living room, "Explain it to me later," I said as I walked into the living room and went to the door. Seth followed after me and I opened the door. It was Jacob, Quil, and Embry. I greeted them with a smile.

"Hey, guys," I said.

Jacob held up two packs of pepsi, "We brought drinks," he said with a smile.

I laughed, "Yeah we might need more if all of the guys are coming."

He chuckled and walked into the house.

"Where's your dad?" I asked.

"He couldn't come, he had to stay home and…make sure everything's ok," he looked at Seth.

I shrugged my shoulders and led them out into the backyard. My mom had set up a table and some chairs. I directed them to sit down.

"I'm going to get the rest of the snacks, I'll be right back," I quickly darted into the house and grabbed the chips, while my mom led Quil and Embry's parents through the house. I heard someone come through the door.

"Need help?" he asked. I looked up.

"Yeah," I handed him one of the bowls and kept my eyes on him, waiting for him to say something, but he didn't, "So can you explain?"

"Wait," he told me.

I sighed, "Promise?"

He nodded his head and opened the door. I stepped outside and set down the snacks on the table. Jacob stared at Seth as he went to sit down. I stood up and watched Jacob as he gave Seth a warning glare. Then I heard the door open. I looked back and saw Sam, Emily, and Leah making their way towards us. Emily was really nice to me. I never understood how she got the scar that was on her face, no one ever explained it to me.

"Hey Vanessa," Emily greeted me with a hug.

"It's nice to see you again," I said as I sat down next to Seth.

Leah glared at me as she sat next to Jacob. I looked down and hid my face from her stare. Seth nudged me. I looked over at him and he handed me one of the drinks.

"Thanks," I smiled and opened up the can and slurped some of it.

I heard laughter from my left and glanced over to see that Embry had soda all over him. I started laughing with them and handed him a couple of napkins.

"Embry you look like you just pissed yourself," Jacob commented.

I laughed along with everyone else, while Embry stood up.

"Where's the bathroom?" he quickly asked.

"It's off the hallway in the living room," I pointed to the house.

He ran off into the house and disappeared.

"Ha ha, let's get a fire going," Sam stood up and walked over to the big pile of logs.

"Careful," I said as he picked up one of the bigger pieces. He chuckled and brought it over into the middle of the yard. All of us moved our chairs and made a circle around it. I went into the garage to get some fluid to pour on there. Seth followed me, yet again.

"What's wrong Seth?" I asked.

"Nothing," he paused for a minute, "I'm sorry."

"For?"

"For not telling you everything, it's just…I really like you Vanessa and I don't want you to think of me as some sort of…freak because of this. And I know that if you change your mind about me, then…I'll respect that, but you have to know that I can't stay away from you…I just…can't."

I looked up at him and shook my head, "What do you mean you can't stay away?" I asked.

He took my hands and the chills I felt faded, "It's hard to explain…but we call it…imprinting."

"Imprinting? Like what animals do?"

He nodded his head and didn't look at my face. What was he telling me?

"So, you…imprinted on me?" the words felt weird to say.

"Yes," he mumbled.

"What does that mean?" I tried to search for some sort of explanation from what he told me. And the one thing that stuck out in my head was when he said, "I'm not human."

My mouth fell open and my eyes widened. I let go of his hands.

"You're not…human…" I stuttered.

"No," he whispered.

What was he then? Was he some sort of…animal or something? How could this be?

"What are you?" I asked and I started to back out of the garage.

"It's nothing I can control, this is how it is. That's the way the legend is at least."

"Legend?" my voice was trembling.

He hesitated, "The legend about the Quileute tribe-,"

"Wait, so..."I looked out of the door, "They're what you are?"

He nodded and sighed. I went to the shelf and grabbed the fluid, not saying a word to him. I walked over to the door and put my hand on the knob. Seth's hand beat me there.

"You need to understand," he said.

I nodded.

"This is all I can explain right now…"

I looked up at him, "But you pro-,"

"I can't Ness, it would be too overwhelming for you right now."

"Overwhelming?" he wasn't making any sense right now. He told me that he would let me know everything.

"Please listen to me Vanessa," he looked and me and practically pleaded. I mean he might as well have gotten down on his knees at that point.

Stupidly, I nodded my head and dared to ask the next question that was rattling in my brain, "So do Leah and Emily know about this? They are human…right?" I asked.

"Leah's not human, but Emily is…and she knows."

Leah was one of them too?

"Why does Emily know?" I said.

"Sam imprinted on her."

That made sense because they were…married. So what does imprinting mean?

"And you imprinted on me…" I tried to put two and two together. Did it have to do with…love?

"Where's the fluid?!" I heard someone yell.

The sound startled me and I put my hand back onto the door knob.

"So I have to wait to find out then?" I asked as I opened the door.

"Yes, I'll explain the rest soon," he whispered.

I nodded my head and walked outside. I knew that this would be something that would change everything. Seth was not a normal person. He and the rest of the Quileutes were some sort of…animal maybe. I thought about everything for a moment. Let's see, he was enormous, and muscular, and he could heal abnormally fast. He says that whatever he is…imprints on people. So what does that mean? What is he?


	6. 5 Slipping Away

**ok so this is a powerful chapter...sort of =/**

**let me know what you think of it!! i need some reviews to know if i should continue with this or just stop**

**read and review**

**oh and one more thing...at the ending like the last paragraph ok that was an experience i had once...when i blacked out...so if you don't understand it then just ask me ;]**

**r&r  
**

Chapter 5

Slipping Away

Maybe I was wrong; maybe I shouldn't have gotten myself caught up in this sort of situation. I never considered myself normal, but apparently I was so much more normal than most people in this town. This wasn't something I planned or hoped would happen. I never would've dreamed that someone I cared for, yes cared for, was not human. I thought about it for days, trying to come up with an explanation for this, but nothing clicked. I would say that he was a superhero or something, but I didn't really think that superheroes…imprinted. And that too, what was imprinting exactly? I only knew a little bit about it and now I regret not listening to the teacher in my biology class. I couldn't bring myself to look it up on the internet because I was scared to find out about it and then find out that Seth was some sort of…animal. But I guess I should just look…well check at least. But if Seth was some sort of animal in a way, then I could accept it…I guess.

In school Seth talked to me like he usually did and we would walk to school together like normal, but I didn't feel the same. I really did try to let things go back to the way they were before I knew that Seth was different, but it was starting to bug me really badly. I didn't let that show though; I acted as normal as I possibly could in front of him.

I need to figure this out…today, if not today then as soon as possible. I'll go on the internet and do whatever it takes to find out. I just need to know. Seth wouldn't say anymore about it…he just acted normally and it was driving me crazy! It was as if he was trying to make it seem like our conversation on Saturday never even happened and I was getting so frustrated. But I guess I was more frustrated with myself more than anything because I was being stupid. I liked Seth, a lot and thinking about this and how this could change everything seemed to make me feel…scared, because maybe if I found out then I wouldn't want to be friends with him anymore and I didn't want it to be that way right now. I cared about him more than anyone here…so in a way…I didn't want to figure this out…

So complicated…

__

When the final bell rang and eighth period let out I slowly went to my locker, cautious of every step I took. When I got all of my books into my backpack, I stood there for a moment. I wasn't ready to get home…really I wasn't. Maybe I shouldn't think about this anymore.

I looked over at Seth, he looked as happy as ever, talking to the other Quileutes and laughing. His beautiful smile was breathtaking and I was mesmerized by it. I stared in amazement at how swiftly he moved and how his muscles flexed as he took his books out of his locker.

"Vanessa! Guess who just asked me out?!" a voice from behind me made me jump.

I slowly turned around and put on a fake smile. Casey was one of my best friends and I usually wanted to talk to her, but right now I was hoping that she would leave me alone.

"Who?" I asked, trying to sound curious.

"Eric Hamilton!" she jumped up and down and squeaked an annoying noise. I wasn't very happy at the moment so I just half smiled at her and threw my backpack over my shoulder.

"That's great Casey," I glanced back at Seth once and caught him looking at me. He didn't walk over to me or even smile like usual, I guess he could sense that I wasn't feeling well.

"Vanessa, stop staring at him!" I shot my head around and Casey's eyes were flashing between me and Seth, "I know you like him, but don't be so weird about it."

She started laughing and I rolled my eyes. She just thinks she's better than me now because she got asked out by some guy that she doesn't know anything about. I don't understand how you could like someone just because they look good.

I glanced back one more time and saw that Seth was no longer by his locker. I looked around the hall, but he wasn't there.

"I got to go, I'll talk to you later Casey."

"Ok, bye, I'll call you," she said.

I sighed, "Yeah, sure."

I wasn't in the mood to talk to her right now. I just wanted to get rid of all of this confusion. I needed to go somewhere alone and think for a moment.

As I walked out of the school I tried to think of a place I could go to where no one would bother me. Usually I would go home with Seth, but not today. I wanted to go alone and hopefully he would understand that and respect that.

I walked down the street and stopped when I stepped onto the concrete. I looked all around me, to my left houses lined up next to each other; to my right the sidewalk led to a pathway into the woods. I turned to the right and started walking on the pathway that led through the trees. I glanced back once and then I stepped over a log that was on the ground and made my way through the trees, taking in the scent of moss as I stepped through the ferns. I could hear bugs buzzing in the air and when I passed each individual tree the sound got louder. I walked slowly and kept a steady pace. And then I stopped walking for a moment, just taking in the beautiful scene all around me. I closed my eyes and took one deep breath of the fresh, misty air. It was peaceful here and I needed this peace.

I started to hear footsteps behind me. I opened my eyes and twisted my body around to see if someone was there. I scanned the trees as best as I could, but no one was there.

Soon enough I started walking again, trying to go a little quicker just in case. I stared at the forest in front of me and walked straight making sure that I kept my ears open for the footsteps. Suddenly a disturbing noise to my left startled me even more. I started running now, no longer on the path. I didn't even know where I was going; I just kept running deeper and deeper into the forest. Then I heard a snarl in the distance and stopped dead in my tracks. I couldn't go further if there was something there, but I couldn't go back either. I looked all around me to see if there was any way I could go. To the right were more trees, maybe safe, maybe not. I would have to take that risk. I started hearing the footsteps again and I quickly darted through the trees, taking the risk and hoping that I would be safe. I looked back once and started to lose my footing. I fell onto the ground and felt something scrape the skin on my left arm. I screamed at the pain and looked down and saw that my arm was starting to bleed. The cut was deep and it was painful.

"Crap," I said to myself, whaling in pain.

I had cut my arm on a piece of tree wood that was broken up. The edges were all sharp and I could see a little bit of my blood on it. I put my hand over the cut that went from my wrist and almost to my elbow and I slowly got up. My arm was pulsing and throbbing and I could see the blood starting to drip onto the forest floor. I quickly turned the other way and walked. I didn't know where I was going, I was lost, but hopefully I would make it home somehow. I looked down at my arm and saw that it was full of blood. It started to make me feel light headed, but I tried to keep my focus on where I was going.

I could hear a grumble in the distance, but I didn't stop. I needed to get home immediately so that this wouldn't get infected. I kept a quick pace and shook my head a couple of times so that I wouldn't get dizzy. The grumbling started to turn into a growl as I walked through the trees. I searched for any sign of the pathway that I took to get here, but I couldn't find it. I could feel the blood starting to soak my shirt so I started to walk even faster, almost running now.

A foul smell made me wrinkly my nose. It was getting worse as I kept walking forward; I tried not to pay attention to it. I breathed through my mouth now and I could hear the growl once again. I started to slow down realizing that whatever was making that noise was only a couple feet in front of me, through the trees that stood there. I took a big gulp and crept towards it, not sure if this meant danger. When I rounded two evergreens I saw a man crouched over something. He had golden blonde, curly hair. The growl was coming from deep inside of him. I stopped and stood there, starting to feel myself get light headed again.

My eyes stayed on this man and I tried to see what he was doing. His head cocked up and he slowly started to turn my way. My eyes widened when I saw that he was very pale and his eyes were a coal black color. He had blood on his lips, which terrified me. I looked down to see that there was a dead animal carcass on the ground, it was lifeless. The man stood up now and stared down at my arm that was bleeding. He licked his lips.

I didn't know what to do, but right now I knew that I would most likely die if this man hungered for me in some strange way. He grinned an evil grin and took one deep breath. I tried to stay calm, but as the blood from my arm kept dripping and as the man kept staring at the blood like he wanted it I got frightened. I shut my eyes tightly and thought that this couldn't be happening to me. I wasn't ready to die, not now. I was only fourteen.

"Help!" I shouted in terror.

A growl came out of the man's mouth and he bared his teeth at me.

I started to panic because I didn't know what to do at this point. I felt like I was in a nightmare, one where you're about to die, but you wake up. And right now I wish I could wake up so this would all be over with, but this was no dream. This was real.

I was ready to give up and let this happen, let this be the end of my life. People say that your whole life flashes before your eyes right before you die, but it wasn't. I stood there with my legs shaking and my arm still throbbing, ready for death and ready for what was coming. I didn't want to watch this monster kill me so I closed my eyes and kept them shut. I tried to drown out the sound of his vicious growls, but it wasn't working and I didn't want to try anymore, what was the point?

A noise in the trees startled me and the creature stopped growling. I couldn't bare to open my eyes. Whatever it was was now standing right in front of me. Maybe, it was another one of them. If it was then I hoped that they would kill me quickly so I wouldn't have to suffer.

I felt someone grab my hand and my skin suddenly felt warmer. I slowly opened my eyes.

"Seth?" I whispered.

How did he know I was here?

He was standing with his back towards me, his hand was still intertwined with mine even though it was full of blood. I could feel him shaking and the vibration of his skin startled me a little bit. I looked over at the blonde male who was now in a crouched position ready to attack. There was no way that Seth could take this thing down, he looked like stone. I didn't want Seth to do this; he couldn't risk his life just to protect me it's not worth it.

"Jasper, don't make me do this, not in front of her," Seth's voice was shaky and he sounded angry.

"Jasper?" I whispered low and looked at the man's black eyes and pale face. Seth knew who this was?

"Seth…" the blonde's voice was trembling, "I…can't…"

Seth protectively stood in front of me with his arms hovering by my hips. I could see his arms shaking more and more. I tightly squeezed his hand and saw the blonde lick his lips again when he saw the blood on my arm. It was as if he wanted it, like he was craving it. The man started growling again and took one step forward. Seth let go of my hand and stepped away, but still kept his arms hovering by my hips.

"I…" the male said between growls, "I'm sorry…Seth."

He quickly crouched down.

"No," Seth snarled.

I stepped back in fear and hoped that Seth would do the same. Maybe we could run away and he wouldn't be able to catch up to us. I kept taking slow steps back, but Seth didn't. He stood there, shaking. It was as if he was going to fight this thing. I didn't think he could. A low growl came out of Seth's mouth and I stared at him. What was he doing?

"Don't," I said. He looked at me for the first time, his lips were quivering and he had a frightening look in his eyes.

"Close your eyes," he demanded in a harsh tone.

I shook my head in denial and set my eyes back on the monster that was about to attack Seth. But he seemed like he didn't want to. It was like he wasn't in control of himself.

Then Seth turned back to the blonde one, getting ready to fight him. I held my breath knowing that this was it, the end of Seth's life and mine. I wondered how much pain my mother would feel when she realized that I was dead. And how much pain Seth's family would feel.

My thoughts were disrupted by the sound of Seth's snarl. He was shaking more than before and I took another step back in fear.

Then, suddenly, Jasper sprung into the air and…

My eyes widened from what I saw. There standing right in front of me was a…wolf. It was big, bigger than a regular wolf and its fur was the color of Seth's hair. No, this couldn't be him. It couldn't be Seth, not my friend. He seemed to be protecting me though, like Seth always did and he wasn't going to attack me. I wasn't scared of this wolf like I was scared of the other creature he was trying to protect me from. I strangely felt…safer.

The wolf leaped into the air and slammed the blonde man onto the ground. My legs were shaking and everything was starting to get dark. I fell to the ground and watched in horror as the wolf and the pale one fought each other. Little specks of black came over my eyes and now I could no longer see. I had to listen to the snarls coming out of both creatures mouths. I could hear both of them fighting each other right in front of me. The ground shook and I was scared because I didn't know if the wolf or the other monster was winning. I would hope that the wolf was ok though because…it was Seth…and I was certain that it was him.

Then a second later my head fell onto the ground and I no longer felt or heard anything…

***

It was as if I was having a dream, but this was so much more different. Everything was black except for a light coming from what seemed like a doorway. And in that doorway was a figure standing there. I couldn't decipher who it was, but I was hoping it didn't mean that I was dying. I had come so close to death, but I would hope that it didn't have to end like this. I would hope that I wouldn't have to bring pain to my mother now...she had already gone through enough and this wouldn't make things easier for her. And Seth, I didn't want to have to lose my friend. I cared about him, more than he even knew and more than I could even describe. And now I didn't understand…I couldn't think I couldn't remember what happened…it feels like I've just slipped away and nothing could save me now…


	7. 6 Those Beautiful Eyes

**ok i hope people will like this....and if you do then review please!!!**

**i want to write more, but i haven't gotten to many reviews yet sooo im not sure....  
**

Chapter 6

Those Beautiful Eyes

I didn't know what was going on. I tried to gather my thoughts and remember what happened, but I couldn't. I could feel my arms and my legs again, my one arm was throbbing and the other was still. And I could hear the sound of something hitting the ground; it was like someone was running. When I gained control of my body again I could tell that I was on top of whatever was making that noise. I still couldn't see, the black cloud was still preventing me from seeing anything, but I could feel my body shaking to the rhythm of the sound, each time it hit the ground. 1, 2, 1, 2.

But then I started to lose control of myself once again. My arms and legs went numb and I lost my hearing. It all was very quick and I tried to move and tried to yell, but I couldn't. The black cloud got darker and darker, it was as if someone was covering my eyes and preventing me from hearing and moving. That was the last thing that I remembered…and I knew this wasn't a dream…

__

The darkness started to lessen and soon enough there were only specks of black. I could tell that I was in my bedroom, on my bed. My arm was hurting, but my legs were fine. I could hear someone breathing heavily beside me and I waited for the specks to go away so I could see who it was. I moved my left arm a little bit and yelled in pain.

"Shh," I heard someone coo in my ear.

I turned my head and the specks finally faded away.

Seth was sitting by my bedside and seemed to be waiting for me to wake up. I didn't say a word; I just stared at his face and tried to regain any memory of what happened to me. I took one deep breath and slowly sat up. Seth's hands were by my side and he was trying to help me so I would hurt my arm. I looked down and saw that my arm was stitched up. The memories started to come back to me. I remember when I fell, when the vicious creature saw me, and when…

I looked up at Seth.

"You…" I said and unable to say no more than that.

He stared into my eyes, waiting for me to keep going, but I didn't know if I could say it. I examined him closely and tried to make sense out of all of this.

"Seth…you were there and you-,"

"Shh," he interrupted.

"No," I shouted, "You protected me from…that thing and…and…"

I looked down at my arm and then I looked back at him. Fear was in his eyes, his dark, beautiful eyes. He climbed onto the bed and sat next to me.

"Ness," he whispered.

I shook my head, "I saw you…you changed…"I couldn't say the word, that one haunting word.

He shut his eyes, "Tell me what you saw," was all he said to me. I sat there in silence, not wanting to say it. I didn't know if it was true.

He finally opened his eyes and looked over at me, waiting for a response.

"I don't know…" I looked down.

"Please, Ness, tell me. This is the only way things can work for us," He said.

He was right; if I wanted to still be a part of his life then I would have to say something. I opened my mouth, but no words came out. He touched my arm with his warm hands and it triggered something in me.

"Wolf," I finally blurted out, not even realizing I said something until I felt him flinch.

I looked over at him and he was staring down at my arm. He pulled his hand away and started shaking. This was what happened right before turned into a...wolf. I needed to distract him somehow.

"Is that it, Seth?" I asked.

He stared up at me with terrifying eyes for a second and then he quickly shot up and started pacing back and forth.

"I need to calm down," he stated.

"Ok," I replied, I didn't want it to happen again. Not here in my room, but I still needed to know if that was it, if I was right, "Seth," I shouted, trying to get his attention.

He stopped pacing, but didn't look at me.

"Am I right?" I asked, "Is that really what you are? Some sort of…wolf?"

His hands turned into fists, "I need to go," he muttered under his breath.

"Why?" I stood up and put my right hand over my stitches. Then I walked over to where he stood.

"Ness, lay down, you need rest," he told me.

"No, not until you tell me."

"Don't be stubborn-,"

"I don't care! Tell me now!" I demanded.

He started shaking again and I took one step back in fear. When he noticed that I was stepping away from him he tried to gain control of himself again.

"I can't phase right here in front of you, not again…"

"So it's true?"

He hesitated to answer my question. I sighed in disappointment and walked closer to him again, taking his warm hand in mine. He pulled his hand away immediately.

"Don't you see? I can't be here right now, I'm losing control," I looked down at his arms, "Maybe it's better if I stay away from you…"

The words made my body ache. If I couldn't see him again I don't know what I would do. I grabbed his hand and squeezed it so that he wouldn't pull away. The warmth of his skin burned my fingers, but I didn't care.

"Please Seth, don't go, it would only make things worse…and you can't stay away from me, remember?" The memories from last Saturday rolled through my mind.

He sighed and shook his head.

"What is it?" I said.

He turned his head to face mine, "I care more about you than I care about myself and if I phase right here, right now…I don't know what you would think of me."

I already saw him phase before and surprisingly I was ok with it. But I was also on the verge of being unconscious so I didn't fully understand at the time.

"Can you please just explain this to me, I guessed…and I was right," I looked into his eyes, "I was right wasn't I?"

"Not completely," he said, smirking a smile. I could tell that he wasn't shaking anymore. I was distracting him from…phasing.

"Ok," I said, a little disappointed to know that I was off. If he wasn't a wolf then what was he? He sure did look like a wolf to me…well except for the fact that he was much bigger than a normal wolf…and he was actually human in some ways…

I heard the door open and close downstairs. My mother was probably coming home from work…she had such bad timing.

Seth eyes went to the door. I sighed.

"What Seth? What are you?" I asked quickly.

He looked back at me and held both of my arms now, "Ness…"

I knew what he was going to say and I groaned, "You better not-,"

"I have to," he interrupted.

I rolled my eyes, "Tell me now, before you go."

I heard my mother's footsteps coming up the stairs.

"Cover your arm," he whispered.

I pulled my sleeve over the stitches on my arm and Seth walked over to the window.

"Don't!" I begged, "Don't leave, please!"

I was so close to knowing. I really wished my mom wasn't about to burst through the door.

"I'm home Ness," I heard my mom walking towards my room. I kept my eyes on him as he opened the window, effortlessly.

"Seth," I breathed, ready to run out the window with him.

He shut his eyes tight for a quick second and then quickly walked back to where I was standing.

"Ness…" His eyes were locked on mine as he put one of his hands on my cheek to wipe away a tear that escaped from my eye.

A knock on the door interrupted our stare. He looked at the door and then back at me.

"Promise me you won't get yourself into that sort of danger ever again."

I knew what he meant by that and now I had to try and deal with this injury I had on my arm without my mother finding out. She would be furious and worried about it.

"I won't," I said, "I promise you that."

He kissed me on the cheek and quickly went out of the window. My mom started pounding on the door.

"I'm going to break down this door if you don't respond to me," she threatened.

I rolled my eyes and turned the knob, slightly opening it.

"Sorry mom, I was listening to music and I didn't hear you," I hated lying to my mother and I wasn't really good at it either. She pushed the door open and took a couple steps inside of my room.

"Then why did I hear you talking to someone?" she asked with her arms crossed over her chest.

See what I mean, I'm not good at lying…at all.

"Oh that, yeah that was just…" I looked around my room for something I could use as an excuse. Then my eyes went to the CD player on my desk, "That was my Spanish homework. Yeah we had to listen to an audio tape in Spanish."

She nodded her head and it didn't seem like she was buying it. I sighed and stared down at the carpet, putting my right hand onto my left arm. I looked down at the grey sleeve of my sweater and tried not to yell from the pain I was feeling.

"Well call me if you need anything," she headed towards the door and glanced at me a couple of times with suspicious eyes. I smiled as she put her hand on the knob and walked out of the room, closing it behind her.

When I could no longer hear her footsteps I went to my window and stared out at the trees that surrounded my house. My arm started throbbing.

"Ouch," I screeched under my breath so my mother wouldn't hear.

I needed to take something to ease the pain. I tapped my foot and bit my lip to figure out another lie I could tell my mother if she found me taking medication for no reason. I felt terrible about it, but what else could I do? I didn't want her asking me questions about my arm if she found out.

I walked out of my room and tip toed into the single bathroom. I glanced back once and then I quickly opened up the medicine cabinet taking out the aspirin. I slowly turned on the faucet and grabbed a glass of water, quickly taking both of the pills in my hands and walking into my room again. I quietly closed the door and laid my head down on the pillow on my bed.

I rested my injured arm on top of my stomach and stared up at the ceiling. I slowly but surely drifted off into a sleep as the pain in my arm faded away.

The dream I had was peaceful and pleasant so far. I was sitting with Seth and his arms were wrapped around me. I was smiling from ear to ear in delight and my eyes were closed. Seth was tracing patterns on my arm, but on one place in particular. I opened my eyes and looked down to see a scar on my wrist. It looked like a…bite mark. My head quickly turned towards Seth and I looked into his beautiful eyes. What I saw terrified me…I wasn't myself anymore. Instead I had deep red eyes and pale skin, almost like Dr. Cullen's eyes and…that other blonde male's skin.

I smiled and wrapped my arms around his neck, tilting my head to the side and getting closer and closer to his neck until my mouth was only an inch away from it. Then in an instant I licked my lips and bared my teeth. I knew what I was about to do and right before my teeth touched his skin I woke up, sweating and panting. I sat up and looked down at my wrist to make sure that there was no bite mark there.

I wondered what that was about. Why did I look so similar to that…that monster that almost killed me? I put my hand on my forehead. Maybe that aspirin was causing me to have that bizarre dream. I shook my head from side to side and started to get up slowly. I looked outside to see that it was already dark out. How long did I sleep for? I wasn't that tired. My breathing calmed down and I walked over to my window again, hoping to see some sign of him, but knowing that he probably wouldn't be there.

When I looked up into the trees I saw a dark figure with bright eyes once again. I wasn't afraid of it like I was the last time I saw it because for some reason I could tell that this was my friend and if it wasn't then I would be getting myself in trouble. I sighed and slowly started to unlock the window and open it, keeping my eyes on this figure I saw. The rain was coming down hard and I wouldn't be surprised if this thing was soaked. I looked up at it curiously and put my hood over my head. Then I started to step out of the window and onto the roof panels that were outside. The whole time I kept my eyes on its bright eyes that seemed to watch me carefully. Once both of my feet were on the roof I waited for this thing to move closer to me, but it stayed where it was, just staring at me.

"Seth," I said, "It's ok."

I heard a low grumble come from the figure and I could tell that it was the wolf, it was Seth. I smiled as he started to inch towards me coming down slowly from each branch and getting closer to me. And when it reached the tree that was right in front of me, I could decipher its dark fur and big eyes. I could feel my left arm throbbing again so I put my hand over it and the wolf started to whimper as it stepped onto my roof and got closer to me.

"I'm ok," I stated, "I'll be fine, don't worry so much."

A noise came from deep inside of him and it sounded almost like a laugh. I was amazed by this beautiful creature in front of me that was my friend. I reached my arm out to touch his fur with my right hand and he flinched away for a moment.

"I'm not afraid of you," surprisingly this felt normal so I took one step closer. I almost lost my footing, but he was right by my side before I could fall.

I sat down on the wet roof, not caring about the rain right now, and I finally touched his damp fur for the first time. I smiled and scratched his neck while he stared at me.

"I guess I'm not afraid of dogs anymore."

I could hear him barking a low, deep noise that sounded like a laugh again. I glanced back into my room to make sure my mom wasn't there, and then I turned my attention back to him.

"See, I told you this wouldn't affect me."

He shook his head while I ran my fingers through his fur. I stared at him curiously, wondering how this could be possible. So the myths I once believed in, but stopped believing in, were true. I knew I was right.

I grinned in delight from that thought.

The wolf started to make a low, calming noise and I turned my attention back to him. It amazed me that my friend wasn't human. I didn't care either.

"So," I started to say, "This is you? Seth Clearwater?"

He nodded his head and looked down.

"I'm ok with it," I reassured him.

A noise came from his mouth and it sounded like a sigh.

"What? Did you think I would be running in terror right now?"

His head bobbed up and down and I chuckled.

"You out of all people should know that I wouldn't let this scare me."

His face came closer to mine and he licked my cheek. I wiped off the slobber with my arm and wrinkled my nose in disgust.

"Gross, Seth," I said.

He made a laughing noise again and I laughed along with him. I almost didn't notice the rain, until I started shivering. Seth came closer to me and looked at me with concerned eyes. I knew what he was trying to tell me.

"I'm f-f-fine, Set-th," my lips were quivering from the cold.

He nuzzled my side with so much force that I actually moved an inch.

"O-k-k-k, I'll g-go," I started to stand up and stepped inside, soaking the carpet with my wet feet. Then I turned around to face him.

He barked and I shushed him so that he wouldn't startle my mother.

"I'll see you tomorrow," I smiled.

He nodded and I ran my hands through his fur once more. He licked my hand and I quickly pulled it away from him, wiping it on my wet sweater.

"Go," I demanded.

I could see his lips pull up at the sides and he looked like he was smiling at me. And then, with one swift movement, he was gone.

I closed my window and when I looked at myself I giggled.

"What a crazy day," I said to myself as I quickly picked up my pajamas and walked towards my door. Then I peaked my head down the staircase to make sure that my mother wouldn't see and when I saw that the coast was clear I darted into the bathroom to take a quick shower. Everything that went on today changed my life. I mean now I would have a new scar to deal with, but besides that Seth and I reached a whole new level on our relationship…well I thought we did at least…


	8. 7 Hot and Cold

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i will post more if you'd like to read more ;]**

Chapter 7

Hot and Cold

I walked up the steps to Seth's house, a little anxious, yet nervous, to see him again…in his human form. I really hoped that it wouldn't be awkward or anything. I mean I wanted to be able to talk about it with him…but only if he wanted to talk about it…

I didn't get to see him over the weekend because my mom wanted to spend 'quality time' with me and go shopping down at Port Angeles. So it's been a couple of days since I last talked to him. Hopefully he would act normal…

My hand was one inch, no one centimeter away from the door before I felt a cool breeze make me shiver. I quickly knocked on the door and put my hands in my pockets to keep them warm. I only waited a couple minutes before Seth opened the door with the biggest grin on his face. He was still Seth Clearwater the human that I grew to like and all of the nervousness and awkwardness I was feeling two seconds earlier seemed to wash away. I smiled back at him.

"H-h-hi," I stuttered from the cold.

Seth immediately put his arms around me, making sure not to put too much pressure on my left arm. I let his abnormally warm body heat warm me up for a couple of seconds before he tightened his grip and caused me to gasp for a breath of air. He quickly pulled away and stared into my eyes.

"Sorry," he said.

His perfect voice hadn't changed one bit.

"It's no problem Seth."

He smiled for a second. Then he took my left arm in his hand, concern in his beautiful eyes.

"How is it?" he asked.

"Besides gross looking, it's fine."

He chuckled and let go of my arm only to take my hand instead. We started casually walking down the side walk, like any other day. I kept my eyes on him and he just stared off into the distance, avoiding my stare. I just wanted to talk to him about last night, even if he didn't want to. I needed my questions answered for once and not avoided.

"So did you get home ok the other night?" I asked, hoping that he would know what I was referring to.

"Mhm," he said in a perfect, calm tone.

"That's good," I added. I glanced down at our hands for a moment. I was wondering if he was trying to avoid this conversation all together. I mean I wanted him to know that I didn't care.

"Are you trying to avoid me asking questions about the other night, Seth?" I put my eyes on his face and tried to see any change in his emotions, but there was none.

"Not at all," he smiled.

"Good," I replied, "Then you don't mind me asking you a question?"

He shook his head from side to side. This was unusual for him. He usually tried to avoid all of my questions, but I guess I could understand why he was ok with it now. He looked down at me and waited patiently for my question to come out of my mouth. I searched for something I could ask him, something that would make him give me a big answer to.

"So, the other night-,"

"Yes," he continued.

"That was you?"

Well that wouldn't make him give me a big answer…

And without any hesitation at all he said, "Yes."

His calm tone made me feel better about this. It was like he knew that I didn't care and I wouldn't have to tell him, but maybe I should remind him.

"So you know I don't mind it?" I kept walking, but kept my eyes on him.

He sighed, "I'm hoping that you don't, but who knows maybe you will."

"I won't," I quickly cut him off before he could say any more. His radiating smile made my heart jump a little bit. I tried to look the other way, but I felt like there was something that was pulling me closer like a force that was keeping my eyes on his face. I came out of my trance when he looked away and I realized that my arm was touching his, which explained why I wasn't feeling as cold as I was before. I kept my hand locked in his warm hand, not wanting this to end.

When we crossed the street and made it to the other side, a low growl came from deep inside Seth's chest. I looked at his eyes and tried to follow his gaze, but I didn't know what he was looking at.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

He kept his eyes on the empty spot ahead of us.

"Nothing," he said through his teeth.

He started to squeeze my hand harder than before and I gasped.

"Sorry," he said in a low tone.

"It's alright," I sighed.

He wasn't paying attention to me now; all of his attention was on the street we were heading towards.

"Can I ask you another question?" I tried to make him stop hissing at whatever he saw.

He finally looked at me.

"So, if you're not a wolf, then what are you?" I stated.

He promised me that he would explain it to me and right now seemed like a good time. He took one deep breath and I waited anxiously for his response.

He grinned and came close to my ear, "Werewolf," he whispered.

The word echoed in my ear and my eyes went wide. I didn't think they existed. I mean from the movies I saw they were all mean, but Seth seemed like the total opposite.

"I thought that werewolves were ugly?" I said.

He chuckled, "So you think I'm handsome then?" he looked at me hopeful, like he wanted me to say yes.

I turned away and started to blush. That must've sounded really stupid…

I knew he was expecting me to answer so I picked my head up and smiled, trying to look confident when I answered him.

"Yes," I answered, "For a werewolf."

He shook his head and started to laugh, "Well none of that is true, I don't eat humans, I am not mean or scary -well I try not to be at least- and I do not in any way resemble any of those fake werewolves," he looked at me out of the corner of his eyes, "Obviously," he added.

"Well let me get this straight then," I tightened my grip on his fingers, "Real werewolves," I emphasized, "Have warm skin, are very tall and very big, can phase, have the most beautiful eyes and the most beautiful smile that could knock any human girl unconscious, they're funny, and very protective."

I couldn't believe how confident I sounded right now. He would either think I was crazy for saying that or…well I don't know what else he would think about that explanation I had just given him. He stopped walking for a minute and turned his body to face me.

"So that's what you think of me," his eyes lit up with joy.

I looked down, "Yeah…"

He brought up his hand and pulled up my chin, "Don't be embarrassed."

I looked deep into his eyes and got lost. He chuckled, probably from the blank expression I had on my face. I blinked a couple of times and got back to reality.

"There's no need to be embarrassed," he said softly, "I actually like that you think of me that way."

My heart started to beat faster and before I knew it my mouth was open to talk, "Well what do you think of me?"

I looked away from him and couldn't believe myself right now.

"Right now, I'm thinking that you're one brave girl. One beautiful, delicate, brave girl…and even though you know what I am, you still stand here with me."

The ends of my lips creased up into a small smile and we started to walk slowly again.

"Any more questions?" He looked down at my face.

"Yes," I thought about it for a moment, "So, you all turn into werewolves then."

He nodded.

"Jacob, Embry, Sam?" I went through all of their names.

"Yes."

"Even Leah?" I waited for his answer to that one. She was a girl and I never would've guessed that she was one of them.

"We all do Ness; it's just the legend of our tribe."

"Will you tell me about it?" I asked.

He nodded his head, "I have to warn you though, there's a lot more things that might…freak you out."

We finally crossed the street and walked into the school parking lot. I wondered what he meant by that. I thought that I already knew a lot about him, but apparently I was wrong. I wished that he could explain it all to me here and now before we went to school, but I would have to settle for after school was over with.

Seth stopped walking for a moment and I followed his eyes once again, seeing what he saw for once. He was growling again. It was just some boy, he was a year older than us maybe, but I'm not sure. He had blonde, short hair and was almost as big and tall as Seth. He was walking into the school.

"A new kid," I said, "Scary," my sarcasm didn't seem to calm him down one bit.

His eyes were glued to this new student. Why was he acting so strange about it?

"Are you ok?" I asked my voice was soft and low.

"Yes," he snapped.

We started walking towards the school and he tried to stay as far away from this guy as possible. I didn't know what the big deal was. Was it jealousy? No, it couldn't be jealousy. I cared about Seth and no one else mattered to me like he did. He was different from the rest. Maybe he knew that, maybe he didn't. But I wanted him to know that every time I saw him, my feelings for him grew more and more and I didn't know if his feelings for me were growing at all.

Once I reached my locker I regrettably let go of his hand to put in my combination. He stood right by my side, glancing at everyone that passed by as if there was some sort of danger. Yeah, right, danger in this school? Impossible…

"I'll see you later Ness, I have to get to my locker," I looked up at him and warmly smiled.

He put his hand on my left arm.

"Stay safe," he whispered.

I nodded my head. Then he put his hand on my cheek and stared into my eyes, with a worried expression. We stood there for a moment while each person walked past us, staring. I half smiled and took in his woodsy scent. Then he finally managed to take his hand off of my cheek and walk away. I creased my eyebrows and stared at him as he trailed off to his locker, looking back at me a couple of times. I wonder what that was all about…

***

My first couple of classes went by so slowly. I had one class with that new kid that Seth was growling at this morning. He didn't seem like a threat at all. Maybe Seth just hated this kid because he was almost as big as him. I don't know maybe it's a guy thing. If someone is more muscular than you, then you get jealous and growl at them…

No that was just Seth…

Finally, it was lunch period. I sat with Casey, Amy, and Bryan, like always, but I noticed that this new kid was in my lunch as well. He didn't seem to be sitting with anyone.

I walked in the lunch line and quickly grabbed my lunch, glancing at him a couple of times. I should just be nice to him. My friends were directing me towards their table and I lifted one finger telling them to hold on. I walked over to the empty table he was sitting at. He looked up at me and smiled.

"Do you want to come sit with us? You look kind of lonely," his arms were huge. Maybe people were more scared of him than anything else, but I was ok with it because I was used to big guys.

He looked all around him and then set his eyes back to me, "Is there some sort of catch to this?" he asked.

I shook my head, "No."

He nodded his head and stood up, taking his tray with him. I stared over at my friends and saw Eric Hamilton sitting next to Casey. She was basically in his lap right now, drooling over him. I rolled my eyes and directed him to sit down into the seat next to mine.

"Guys, this is," I looked at him.

"Connor," he reached his hand out to shake Amy's hand. Her arm was shaking as she reached over the table.

"Connor," I echoed.

Bryan refused to say a word to him for some reason. I guess that it was a guy thing because both Seth and Bryan reacted the same way. Well, except for the fact that Seth growled at him while Bryan sat there acting like he couldn't talk at all…

I examined Connor. He had the strangest eyes; they were golden, with a tint of red in them. Almost like an orange type of color. His skin wasn't tan whatsoever I wasn't used to seeing so many people with pale skin around here.

Amy's eyes were still locked on his face. I mean I don't blame her he was pretty cute, but I wasn't interested. Amy seemed to be though, and Connor seemed interested in her too.

"So, where are you from?" I asked, breaking the awkward silence.

"Alaska," he answered, staring at Amy while Bryan watched in disgust.

"Alaska? What are you some sort of Eskimo or something?" Bryan started laughing along with Eric.

I elbowed him in the side and he just ignored me and kept laughing. The blood rushed to my cheeks and I stared down at my tray, taking a small bite of my sandwich that was sitting there. Then I looked over at Connor who was now glaring at Bryan with frightful eyes that scared me. Bryan kept his eyes off of him and just looked at some other group of people; his fingers were tapping on the table. I laughed and turned my attention back to my food once again…

"How are you liking La Push so far?" I asked, playing with my food and not bothering to look at him.

"It's very…" he searched for the right word to use, "Nice…the food seems good here."

Amy laughed in a weird way, while I just looked at him. That's it? The food's good? Was that some slang for something that they used in Alaska?

***

Then sixth period rolled along. And seventh period; and thankfully eighth period passed. I swear that this was one of the longest days I've ever lived through…

I grabbed my books out of my messy locker and threw them into my backpack. I could hear footsteps heading towards me and I looked up to see who it was. My lips pulled up into a smile.

"Hey Connor," I said.

"Hi," he replied in a low tone.

I turned my attention back to my locker, wondering that there must be some reason as to why Connor came over here. But he wasn't talking. I reached up to the top of my locker and grabbed the last book I would need for my homework.

"What's that?" he hissed.

I looked over at him and followed his stare. My stitches were showing. I quickly pulled my sleeve over them.

"Its n-nothing," my voice sounded shaky.

"Doesn't seem like nothing," he reached one of his hands out to touch my cut. I flinched from the ice cold feeling I felt when his skin touched mine. I immediately pulled my arm away.

"Don't touch me," I glared at him, but he probably wasn't intimidated at all. Then I started to walk out of the school and into the parking lot. I kept walking across the street, hoping that he would leave me alone, but unfortunately he didn't. I should've just waited for Seth…

"Why the attitude?" he grinned.

I started to walk quicker, but he grabbed my arm and forced me to turn towards him.

"I just want to see," he pulled my sleeve up my arm and revealed my stitches. I looked down the street to see if anyone was around, but we were alone.

_Great, _I thought. Not only was he bigger than me, but he was a lot stronger than me. So I wouldn't be able to pull my arm away from him.

He brought his face closer and closer to my arm and took one deep breath.

"Mmm," he smiled in delight.

"Get away from me Connor!" I shouted, trying to squirm out of his grip, but it was no use.

"I thought we were friends?" he said.

"I asked you if you wanted to sit at my lunch table, I never said you were my friend."

He hissed through his teeth, "Your friend Amy seems to like me."

I'm sure she does. She was probably blinded by his beauty and not really looking at him for who he really was.

"I don't care! Now let go of me you jerk!" I stamped my foot onto his, but it didn't do anything. It only made my foot start to hurt.

He started to growl at me; it reminded me of Seth's growling only colder and harsher. Then his nails started to dig into my wrist, tearing through my skin. I screamed in pain. Yeah like I needed anymore pain…

He let go of me only to slam me down to the hard concrete. I stayed down, hoping that he was done.

"Why are you doing this?" I said in between coughs.

"Oh, Vanessa," he squatted down next to me, "I'm not really a high school student. I just went there, looking for a meal. You were the first one to talk to me so, I choose you."

He licked his lips and flashes of the other day went through my head.

"What are you?" I asked, scared and terrified.

He chuckled, "Your little werewolf didn't inform you already?"

What? How the hell did he know about that?

I started to crawl away from him, only using my right hand since the other was basically broken. I tried to see if there was someone around, but unfortunately there was no one. Before I could scream for help he was in front of me.

"Get away from me!" I shouted and started punching his legs with my fist, but all it did was hurt me more.

He chuckled, "Sit still and I'll finish you off quickly."

He touched the back of my neck with his cold fingers that sent shivers down my spine, causing me to shut my eyes so I wouldn't have to see what he was going to do to me. Then he started to bring me closer and closer to his mouth. I could feel my heart beating quicker as his cool breath beat against my skin. As he began to open his mouth and dig his teeth into my neck something made him hesitate. I heard a low growl come from deep inside of his chest.

"You're just in time," he snickered.

I finally opened my eyes only to see the dark fur of a wolf snarling at Connor. I could tell it was Seth. I didn't want him to get hurt; I just wanted to get out of here. Connor started to stand up.

"You're smaller than the other wolves," he grinned, "This should be fun."

"No!" I screamed.

But it was too late, Seth had run off into the woods, with Connor quickly following after him. I knew I wouldn't be able to move an inch with my one injured arm.

"Seth," my voice was so low that even I couldn't hear it. I could feel the tears starting to pour out of my eyes and I laid there on the ground unable to move and not knowing if Seth would be ok. I could hear footsteps heading towards me and I thought that it was Connor coming back for me. He was probably already finished with Seth.

I felt lifeless, like someone had ripped my heart out and stomped all over it. I couldn't breathe anymore and the tears were preventing me from seeing who was heading towards me. But whoever it was pulled me up into his arms. I hoped that I wasn't being carried off to be killed; I just wanted to be safe.

"It'll be ok Vanessa," someone's voice said in my ear, "Seth can take care of himself."

I wrapped my right arm around this person's neck, feeling the warmth of his skin. It was one of the Quileutes. A sigh of relief escaped from my mouth. I tried to decipher his voice, but at this point I didn't care. As long as Seth would get home safe then nothing else mattered to me right now…not even my practically broken arm…


	9. 8 Jacob

**yeah another chapter!**

**surprised? me too....i don't know why i'm surprised though o_O**

**well this one should shock people....**

**read and review!!! **

**i 3 Seth btw**

**(yeah im just in a crazy mood...wow...)  
**

Chapter 8

Jacob

Some things I hide from the world. Like my past...I haven't been able to trust someone enough to tell them what happened to me. I'm not looking for sympathy or anything like that. I just wish there was someone out there who could understand what I've been through…which is a lot and is the reason why I wanted to move here. I wanted to get away from the past. But right now with all the pain I was going through…it felt like the past was creeping up on me…

__

I kept my head on Jacob's chest as he carried me into the living room of his house. The tears that I shed had stained his t-shirt so I tried to stop crying so I wouldn't ruin it even more. His father, Billy, picked up the phone to call Dr. Cullen so that he could come and check out my arm again. As Jacob set me down gently onto the couch I heard someone open up the door and quickly walk through the house.

"Jake," Paul's voice called.

He came into the living room, half dressed and putting on a new shirt.

"Hey Vanessa," Paul waved. I tried to smile.

"Jake, I need to talk to you," he said.

Jacob walked over to where Paul was standing and they both walked into the kitchen. I wanted to know what was going on. I couldn't just sit here and pretend like everything was ok. If Seth was hurt I wanted to know. I shuddered from the thought of him being hurt.

I heard Jacob sigh, "I'll stay with her. Make sure Sam knows about it."

Knows about what? What's going on?

I heard footsteps coming into the living room again. When they both appeared I stared at them suspiciously. Jacob sat next to me while Paul ran out the door. I heard a howl outside and it made me jump.

"It's only Paul," Jacob told me.

I put my eyes back on him, "What's going on?"

He hesitated to answer me, "Dr. Cullen should be here soon."

Great now he's avoiding my questions. It gets annoying after a while.

"Is Seth ok?" I asked.

He looked down at the floor.

"Jake," I sat up more, trying not to use my left arm for support, "Tell me…please."

He sighed, "Seth tried to kill that…thing. He's not as strong as the rest of us are…so it was harder for him because Connor is…"

He paused.

"He's what?" I said.

"I don't know if I should be the one to tell you," he shook his head.

"Oh come on Jake, I'm sure I can handle it."

He smirked a smile, "Are all girls this stubborn?"

"Yes, now what is it?" I quickly said.

"Ok, has Seth ever told you about the legend of our tribe?" he asked.

"Only bits and pieces, not everything though."

"Well, we made a treaty…with our enemy a long long time ago," he explained.

"Ok," I said.

"And the treaty stated that they stay on their part of the land while we stayed on ours. But, a couple years ago that treaty was changed by both us and…the Cullens."

"Wait, the Cullens…as in Dr. Cullen's family?"

He nodded, "They're not what you think they are."

"Then what are they?"

I thought that maybe finding out that the Quileutes were werewolves was enough, but I guess I was wrong.

He took one deep breath and said, "Vampires."

The word sent flashbacks in my mind of today, last week, and when I first saw Dr. Cullen. The pale skin and golden eyes him and that guy Jasper had. And the cold skin Connor had that sent chills down my spine. Connor and Jasper were both after one thing and it made sense…my blood…

"So…Dr. Cullen…he's a-,"

"Bloodsucker," Jacob stated.

Bloodsucker…that word sounded terrifying to me. Just thinking about that made me feel uncomfortable.

"If they're your enemy then why is Dr. Cullen coming over here? If they all drink blood then why is he coming to check out my arm…that's bleeding!"

"The Cullens are not like usual vampires. They don't drink human blood…well they try not to at least."

Oh like that was supposed to make me feel better?

"And you know them well?"

"Very well…too well…" he shook his head.

Werewolves and vampires…what else is new? I guess the world I thought I was living in was normal, but I was wrong…

"But if they're vampires then wouldn't they be burning from the sunlight? Shouldn't Dr. Cullen be in a coffin right now?" the words came out so fast that I didn't even know if he understood what I was saying, but he laughed so I'm guessing that he did…

"That's just a myth," he chuckled.

"Do they turn into bats?"

"Myth…they don't even have fangs if you can believe it…"

Oh sure, I can believe that. Yeah like I believed werewolves were real…

"So the only thing they do is drink blood?"

"Not even close…it's annoying really. Vampires can run quickly and they're very strong…but I still think werewolves are stronger… and some of them have special abilities like…mind creeping and freaky future telling."

I laughed, "Sounds, interesting."

"Not really…" he smiled, "Werewolves are better."

I rolled my eyes and kept laughing. At least I was getting my mind off of things.

"How are werewolves better?" I asked. Seth never had the chance to tell me.

"Besides having a pulse, we protect people instead of eat them and when we're in our werewolf form we can all hear each other's thoughts, which gets annoying, but sometimes it's helpful."

"Wait, you're telling me that you can hear Seth's thoughts...right now?"

"Well not right now, but if I phase I could. And I'm pretty sure I wouldn't want to hear what he's thinking at the moment, but lately it's been you."

"He thinks about me?" I asked, shocked.

"More than I need to hear about. He's always wondering if you're safe or not. I don't blame him though, he did imprint on you." He clasped his lips shut, like he wasn't supposed to say that or something. Well it was too late now…

"Seth never explained to me what that means," I looked down at my wrist, which was covered in a towel to stop the bleeding. I didn't even notice the pain, but by now I'm used to it.

"And I think you should wait until he does explain it. It's not my place to tell you."

I sighed in disappointment. I would probably have to wait a long time until he finally said something about it.

"Did you imprint on someone?" I asked.

He smiled, "Yeah."

His eyes lit up when he answered my question, "Who?"

"Her names, Renesmee."

"How old is she?" I asked.

"Well it's complicated…she's sort of…half human, half vampire."

My mouth fell open. He imprinted on a half vampire? What the hell?

"So what does that mean?" I tried to make my voice sound normal instead of shocked.

"She looks like she's fifteen, but she's only seven years old…" he stated.

Oh yeah, like that made sense.

"And how is she half human, half vampire. It doesn't really make sense to me."

"Well, to make a long story short, a vampire got married to a human and they…reproduced."

My eyes widened.

"That's different…"

"Well you should know that nothing is normal," he grinned.

"Yeah, I guess so," I sighed.

I heard a knock on the door. Jacob got up from where he was sitting and opened it.

"Nice to see you again Jacob," I heard someone's perfect voice say.

When I heard Dr. Cullen step into the house I felt sort of…scared. Now that I knew what he was I felt a little uncomfortable around him. He stepped into the living room and half smiled at me.

"How's your arm feeling Vanessa?" he asked.

I tried to take my eyes off of him as he stood in front of me.

"It sort of hurts, it's…bleeding," I looked up to see what his reaction to the last word. He didn't seem to care at all.

"Let's have a look," He reached his hand out to take the towel off, but I pulled my arm away in fear. His eyes met mine, "I'm not going to hurt you," he said.

I slowly pulled my arm closer to his hands and when I felt his ice cold fingers touch my wound I started to shiver. He examined my arm, the stitches and the new wound I had. I stared at him confused as to how he could resist the temptation of blood if he was a vampire.

"It's not broken, but I am going to have to wrap your wrist just to be safe," he told me.

Great now my mom's going to figure out.

"Are you sure I can't just leave it?" I asked.

"I'm sorry, but I need to keep your wrist from actually breaking. I'm sure your mom will understand."

I shook my head, "You haven't met my mother, she will freak out."

He smiled, "I can talk to her if you'd like."

I thought about it for a moment. I guess it would be better.

"OK, fine," I held out my wrist so he could wrap it.

When he finished repairing my arm Jacob and Billy led him out of the door. I waved a quick goodbye to him, realizing that I shouldn't be scared of vampires like him.

Jacob walked over to where I was sitting.

"Are you in pain?" he asked.

"Yeah, but I'm used to it…" I looked down at the cloth that was wrapped around my wrist. Bad memories started rolling through my mind.

"What do you mean you're used to it?" he said. He seemed concerned.

I sighed, "It's nothing Jacob."

I tried to shrug it off and make it seem like nothing, but it didn't seem like he was going to let this one slide.

"We're friends right?" his tone changed.

"Yeah, of course," I replied.

"Then you can trust me," he put one hand on my shoulder.

I shut my eyes. _I shouldn't have said anything, _I thought.

"Vanessa," he started to say, "What is it?"

I put my hand over my wrist and stared at my arm. Should I tell him? I bit my lip, trying to prevent myself from saying anything, but I was too late.

"I was abused by my father," I blurted out. I didn't even mean to say it, it just came out on its own. I felt a tear come out of my eye and didn't look up at his face to see his reaction. He pulled me in close to him and wrapped his arms around me.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. He rubbed my arm with his warm hand and tried to make me feel better.

"No, its fine Jake…its fine."

"It sure as hell is not fine!" his voice got louder, "Have you ever told someone about this?"

I hesitated to answer. When my mom was at work my dad would beat me. I never told her until she came home one day and found me on the floor with bruises all over me. I had to tell her the truth; I couldn't lie at that point.

"Only my mom," I answered.

"Not even the police?" he asked, fear in his eyes.

"Of course my mom told the police. We even went to court. But, the jury came to a decision where it didn't involve him going to jail. He got off easy…"

I felt Jacob tighten his grip around me. I gasped and he immediately let go and pulled away. I wiped off the salty tears that were on my cheeks and looked at his shirt. There were two patches of stains on it now.

"Sorry," I whispered, staring at his shirt.

He shook his head, but didn't look at me, "You out of all people shouldn't be sorry."

I pulled my legs in close to my chest and rested my head on my knees.

"So, then my mom split up with him," I continued, "And we came here. I can't even begin to describe how happy I am here."

He half smiled, "Is half of the reason why you're so happy here have to do with hm…I don't know, Seth."

I chuckled, "Yes."

He nodded, "Good, you both deserve each other."

I smiled.

"I haven't seen Seth this happy. I mean ever since he met you, it's like his whole world has changed."

"Is that a good thing?" I asked.

He laughed, "Yeah, Seth is like my little brother. I know that he cares about you and to know that he's finally imprinted makes me happy."

I was glad that Jacob approved of me. I never really had a chance to have a one on one conversation with him. Well at least not like this.

I heard the door fly open. Embry and Jared came rushing into the room.

"Jake!" Jared shouted.

Jacob immediately stood up, "What is it?"

"It's Seth," Embry answered, "He's hurt."

In that instant I felt my heart stop. The whole world started crashing down and there was nothing that could stop it now…\

***gasp***

**a cliffhanger =O**

**if you review then i will update!!!**

**im cruel i know ;]**


	10. 9 Breathe

**ok so i'm sorry this one took so long, but i've been sick lately soo i was unable to write =P**

**let me know what you think of this chapter **

**r&r  
**

Chapter 9

Breathe

It seemed like time had stopped. I was sitting there as still as stone, not blinking, or moving, or even breathing for that matter. Everything was still. I wanted this to be a dream and wake up so I would know that he wasn't hurt and it was just my imagination. But, unfortunately, this was reality and I had to deal with the lemons I was given and make lemonade out of them.

Seth Clearwater, my best friend, my protector, was hurt by some vampire. This was all my fault and I couldn't feel any worse than I did right now. He didn't deserve this, he shouldn't be the one who's hurt…I should. I should be dead right now. I don't understand why Seth would do something like that just for me, a girl who can't even go through one day without getting into trouble. I'm so stupid…he probably doesn't want anything to do with me now…

"How could you let that happen?!" I heard Jacob scream from the other room.

"Seth wasn't letting any of us touch him. When we tried to step in and help he would tell us to stop, he wanted to finish Connor by himself."

I shuddered, trying to prevent the tears from escaping my eyes.

"But, you should know by now that Seth isn't as big as any of us or as strong as any of us are! He's younger than all of us, Embry, how could you be so stupid?!"

"Calm down, Jake," I heard Sam say, "You can't phase, not now."

This is all my fault. If I wasn't so stupid then Seth wouldn't be hurt. I couldn't take this anymore. I couldn't just sit here and do nothing. I wiped my cheeks and stood up from the couch, feeling a little shaky. I stormed into the kitchen where the guys were standing and talking. All of their eyes flashed to me for a second and they shut their mouths. Jacob was shaking, his back was turned towards me.

"Is he…ok?" I asked. It was hard to breathe.

"We're not sure right now, he's being checked out by the doctor as we speak," Sam's voice was low, I almost didn't understand what he was saying.

One single tear rolled down my left cheek, "But…how was he…when you last…saw…him?"

All of them were silent. I grabbed the counter top for support so I wouldn't fall. Their hands were surrounding me a second later, except for Jacob's. He was still shaking, and trying not to phase right now.

"Careful," Embry grabbed my arm.

"I'm…fine," I lied, I wasn't even close to being fine at the moment, "Just, please…be honest. How is he?" I asked, putting a serious look on my face now.

Sam took one deep breath, "Connor managed to break a couple of bones."

"You should've just taken him down right then and there!" Jacob interrupted, "How could you let Seth do this on his own?!"

"Stop, Jake," Embry said in a calm tone.

A low grumble came from Jacob's chest. And in less than a second he was outside. A loud howl interrupted the silence in the room.

Sam sighed, "Jared go stop him before he does something he'll regret."

Jared ran outside and followed Jacob. I ran my fingers through my hair once and wiped my eyes again.

"Vanessa, why don't you call your mom. I'm sure she's wondering where you are," Sam handed me the phone.

I sighed. What was I going to tell her? I grabbed the phone from his hand and slowly dialed my mother's number, trying to figure out a plan as I did it. I hesitantly pressed the send button and put the phone up to my ear. I tapped my foot on the ground and waited for her to pick up. After about four rings she finally answered the phone.

"Vanessa! Where are you?!" she asked in a worried tone.

"Mom, everything's fine. I just…" I looked down at my wrist, "Got hurt in gym again…"

I bit my lip, hoping that she would buy it. I did feel guilty for lying to her again though.

"Are you alright?!" she asked.

"I'm fine, Dr. Cullen checked it out for me. It's only sprained," I shut my eyes and paused before I continued, "So I'm at Jake's house, waiting for Dr. Cullen to finish wrapping it, then I'll come home. Don't worry though," I held my breath, waiting to see if she bought it or not. But half of that was true…

"Who is this Dr. Cullen?" she asked suspiciously.

"He's a really really good doctor…" I looked down at my left hand, "I'll be home soon mom."

She waited a second to say something. It was as if this was hard to believe…I probably wasn't convincing enough. I inhaled slowly and waited for her to answer me before I exhaled.

She sighed, "Be careful, Ness…I love you."

My lips started quivering, "I love you too mom."

"Promise me you'll get home as soon as this doctor is finished wrapping your arm."

"I promise," I tried to stop myself from crying again, "Bye mom," my voice was shaking as I was ready to break down and cry.

I quickly closed the phone and handed it to Sam. Then I put my hands over my face and let the tears pour out. I tried to be as quiet as possible so they wouldn't hear me, but I felt the feeling in the air change. I could sense that Sam and Embry were feeling awkward, so I stepped into the living room and picked up my sweater. I wanted to see him, even if I wasn't supposed to. I just needed to know that he would be ok before I went home. I quickly put my arms through the sleeves of my sweater and opened the door, running out so that Sam and Embry wouldn't bother to follow me. I felt the wind hit me and my whole body ached, especially my arm. But I didn't care. The only thing that matters is getting to Seth's house and being able to see him.

I ran towards my house which was only about a block away from Jacob's house, so I was close. When I crossed the one side street and I could see his house, even in the dark, my heart started to jump. I saw the lights on through the window and the black Mercedes in their driveway. Dr. Cullen must still be there. I slowed down as I passed my house and caught my breath when I was on the porch of Seth's house. I carefully walked up the stairs and stopped before I could knock. I stood there, scared and anxious to see him. Then I brought my hand up to the door and knocked three times. I could hear footsteps coming towards the door and I took one deep breath. Mrs. Clearwater appeared, she was crying, I could tell, but when she saw me her frown suddenly turned into a smile.

"Vanessa," she said, surprised.

I smiled, "How is he doing?" I asked.

She nodded her head, "He's holding up."

I stood there for a second, not wanting to invite myself in, but hoping that she would ask. I peeked over her shoulder; only to see Leah standing there with her arms crossed over her chest, worry in her eyes. She came up behind her mother and her eyes met mine. I looked down, knowing that she didn't like me too much. This would only make her like me less.

"Do you want to come in?" I heard someone ask.

I picked my head up. Mrs. Clearwater was no longer at the door, it was only Leah. A small smile appeared on her face. I didn't know what to think.

"Look, I know that you think I dislike you, but…I don't," she explained, "And I'm sorry if I came off as a mean person…some things are just…difficult."

I didn't know what she meant by things being difficult, but I was surprised by her apology.

"Don't be sorry," I said.

She opened up the door more and directed me to come into the house. I slowly stepped inside of the house and felt nervous again. I didn't know what to expect when I saw him. Leah walked up the stairs with me and when we reached his room, I stopped breathing. I just stared at the door in front of me.

"Dr. Cullen should be finished in there," she told me.

I glanced at her, "Are you sure I can go in?" I asked.

She nodded, "If anyone deserves to see him now it's you."

I smiled for a second, but when she started to open the door I felt my heart stop. I took one deep breath as I looked into the room. Dr. Cullen was sitting next to Seth's bed. I took one step inside of the room and when I could finally see his face I felt my heart start to beat faster and faster. I kept walking forward, until the doctor finally noticed my presence in the room. He took one look at me and stood up. He grinned and put his cold hand on my shoulder.

"Seth should be ok in a couple of days, it's only a couple broken bones. He's been asking about you though," he stated.

"He has?" I asked.

He nodded. I looked over at Seth for a moment.

"I'll leave you two alone," Dr. Cullen said.

He took his hand off of me and walked out of the room. I stood there because I didn't know if I should get any closer, I didn't want to hurt him. I tried to find his eyes in the darkness, but I couldn't, my eyes were too weak, so I stepped closer and closer until I could finally make out his tan skin, his dark eyes, and his short hair. I grinned and sat down in the seat there. I wasn't scared anymore. Instead, a feeling of desire ran through my body. I could tell that his eyes were on me, but he didn't move or speak, he just stared.

"Seth," I breathed, "I'm so sorry, this is all my fault."

He twisted his head to face me and groaned in pain. I flinched.

"Don't be sorry, Ness," he said in a low voice.

"No, I have to be, if it wasn't for me then you wouldn't be hurt right now," I yelled.

"I knew Connor was a vampire, I should've just taken him down when I first saw him. I was stupid."

I shook my head, "You are not stupid, Seth, not at all."

He slowly opened up his hand, yelling in pain.

"Don't move if you're in pain," I said.

"I'm not in pain, I heal quickly remember."

I stared at him and sighed. He reached his hand out to take mine and I slowly slipped my fingers through his. I looked up at his face.

"Are you ok?" I asked.

"I'm fine," he answered.

His eyes were soft and as I stared into them I felt myself get lost and a sudden desire ran through me. I didn't know what I was feeling or why, but I just wanted to be closer to him more than anything right now, but I didn't want to hurt him. I sighed.

"I can't help, but feel guilty about this," I admitted.

"There's no reason to feel guilty."

"You say that like there's nothing wrong, while you're sitting here with broken bones. How can I not feel guilty knowing that I'm the reason why you're in pain right now?"

He didn't respond because he knew it was true. I was the cause for all of this. I didn't even know how he could stand being next to me right now.

"I should just go."

"No. I don't want you to go," he said.

"Seth, I can't stay right now," I couldn't stand seeing him this way and know that I did this to him, "I'll try to call you."

I let go of his hand and started to stand up, but he suddenly grabbed my arm and forced me to turn towards him. My face was only an inch away from his. I could basically feel the heat coming off of his skin. Suddenly both of our foreheads were pressed together.

"Ness," he breathed, "If you weren't here right now, with me, then I would be in pain. You are not the reason why I'm hurt; you're the reason why I'm alive."

I looked at his eyes and I could see the desire in them. I felt a spark run through my body as he smiled.

"I'm falling in love with you, Vanessa," he said in a soft and sweet voice that I couldn't resist any longer.

The spark had now turned into passion. So I moved my mouth in closer to his. He was hesitant at first, but then he started to move towards me. And in one small movement his lips were touching mine. At first, my lips burned, but soon the burning was replaced with passion. I started to kiss him more and didn't care about anyone else, but him. I took one quick breath and then my phone started to ring, interrupting this perfect moment. I gave him one more small kiss and then I hesitantly pulled away and pulled out my phone.

"Hello?" I said.

"Vanessa! Come home now! I mean it!" my mom screamed.

I groaned, "Coming."

I closed my phone and put it back into my pocket.

"I have to go," I smiled, "Feel better, Seth."

I took his hand one more time and realized that my face was still close to his. He grinned and gently kissed my forehead.

"I can't phase for a while so be careful," he whispered.

"I will. Goodnight Seth."

And with that I stood up and let go of his hand. When I started to walk towards the door I couldn't help, but feel better about everything. I glanced back at him once more.

"Werewolves are definitely better than vampires," I felt the need to say for some reason, "Well they're very good at kissing, I think."

He laughed, "Good to know," he said.

I smiled and slowly closed the door, looking at him one more time before I couldn't see him anymore…


	11. 10 Poor Leah

**so i'd just like to say thanks to everyone who has read this story...and thanks for the reviews ;]**

**woahz... i reached chapter 10...hmm...doesn't surprise me...  
**

Chapter 10

Poor Leah

As the rest of the week passed by, my mind was set on one person and one person only…Seth Clearwater. I visited him every day and waited for him to get better. He was strong though and I knew that he would be able to heal faster than I expected and he did. So I guess this means we could be happy now…maybe…

__

I woke up to the bright sun of the morning. The one day I didn't want the sun and it was bothering me…stupid, rare, bright lights. I groaned and tried to stand up with my eyes closed and I almost fell in the process. I slowly started to open my eyes up one by one and gasped at the sight of big, huge Seth.

"Don't do that to me!" I attempted to push Seth in his stomach, but it didn't do anything.

He laughed, "Sorry, I didn't think you got scared so easily."

I rolled my eyes sarcastically and he wrapped his arms around my waist. I placed my head on his warm chest and closed my eyes for a second, still exhausted from the week I had. He kissed the top of my head and I wiggled out of his arms.

"I need to get dressed," I waved my hand, directing him to leave, but he didn't move, "Or you can stay," I smiled.

He chuckled, "I'll give you some privacy."

And with that he ran out of the room, closing the door behind him. I chuckled and quickly got changed into some comfortable clothes. Then I rushed out of the room and into the bathroom, passing Seth, but not paying attention to him. I used my comb to tame my long, dark hair, wrinkling my nose because it looked really bad.

"You could've told me I looked this bad!" I shouted. My mother wasn't home I assumed or else she would've woke me up already. She's a veterinarian so sometimes she gets called in for emergencies.

I heard his footsteps coming towards the bathroom.

"You could never look bad," he said, pecking me on the cheek and smiling at the sight of me.

"Sure, sure," I brushed through all of the knots in my hair and tried to make it look nice, but I knew it was no use. I looked at Seth as he watched me intently and smiled, "What?" I asked.

"Your hair looks fine. I don't understand why you keep brushing it," he said.

"I'm a girl, I tend to care about what I look like," I added.

"You look beautiful either way," he grabbed the brush out of my hand and I turned around to face him. I kissed him once on the lips and tried to distract him so he would let go of my brush. He raised his hand up over his head and I was too short to get it so I didn't even try to. He grinned, "Nice try, but I refuse to be distracted by your kisses."

I raised one eyebrow, "You know me too well."

"That's what you get for falling in love with a werewolf."

"I guess so," I sighed and walked out of the bathroom and back into my room. Then I planted myself onto my bed, "What are we doing today?" I asked.

He sat down next to me and pulled me into his lap. I took his hand and squeezed it in order to warm up my freezing fingers. When he saw what I was doing he started to rub my left arm with his free hand.

"I don't know anything as long as I don't have to see my house. I've gotten sick of that place," he sighed.

I chuckled, "Do you have anything in mind?"

"No," he kissed my neck. When his soft lips touched my skin it made my head spin.

"Seth," I inhaled, "It's…hot…"

He took his hands off of me and immediately set me back onto the bed, "Sorry."

I giggled and turned my body around to face him, "It's fine," I reassured him.

He smiled at me and both of us just stared at each other. Soon enough we were broken out of our trance by Seth's cell phone. I jumped. He looked down at his phone and then put his eyes back on me.

"Hold on," he kissed my cheek and ran out of the room.

"Ok," I sighed.

I laid my head on my pillow and stared up at the ceiling while I waited for him to come back.

"Sam," I heard him say.

I closed my eyes, _Please don't let this be something bad…again, _I thought.

"Fine, I'll come, but I'm not going to force Leah to come with me."

I heard him snarl into the phone and then he walked into the room, his hands were formed into fists. I sat up.

"What's wrong now?" I asked.

"Some 'good news' Sam and Emily want to tell us about," Seth spat through his teeth.

"Ok…then why are you getting angry if it's 'good news'?"

"Long story…" he said.

I looked over at my clock, it was only nine thirty, "I have time."

He sat down next to me again and took one deep breath, "It's about my sister, Leah," he paused, "Her and Sam used to be a couple. They were both madly in love until Sam imprinted."

I put my hand on my forehead, poor Leah was all I could think at the moment.

"Emily's our cousin and she never showed any interest in Sam and Sam never seemed to care about her. Until one day when Leah invited Emily over to meet Sam because he was her boyfriend at the time. And he imprinted on her. Two days later that asshole broke my sister's heart. I can't say I hate him because he was there for me when I first phased, but I sure don't like him for every other reason."

I shook my head in disbelief. I just wanted to punch Sam right now…even though I wasn't strong enough and I would probably break my hand in the process, but I didn't care! I felt Seth put his hand on my arm and I looked up at his face.

"Ness, I think you've been hanging around werewolves too much, you look like you're ready to rip someone to shreds," he laughed.

I looked at myself and realized that my hands were formed into fists and my left arm was shaking from the pressure I was putting on it. I stretched out my fingers and relaxed my muscles while pain ran up and down my arm. I put my hand onto the stitches, I was getting them out soon so I didn't want to ruin any of them. A small sigh escaped from my mouth.

"Sorry…it just bugs me that guys can be so stupid sometimes…"

"Yeah, and it bugs me that after all of this happened Leah's been a bitch to everyone…"

I looked at his dark eyes filled with rage. I turned towards him and sat on my knees, wrapping my arms around his neck and kissing his lips once.

"I don't think Leah's a bitch…I just think she feels that no one understands what she's going through," I kissed both of his cheeks.

He sighed, "I don't know who would understand…"

I bit my lip and thought for a moment. He pressed both of our foreheads together and I immediately lost my focus when his lips touched mine and he kissed me passionately. I pulled away and smiled.

"Ok I see how it is," he said.

"Sorry, I'm just…thinking right now."

"About?" he looked at me curiously.

Not this again...

"I was just thinking that I might be able to understand," I said.

"And how is that?"

Well I guess if I could tell Jacob then I could definitely tell Seth.

"Because…" I paused.

"You can trust me, Ness," he kissed the tip of my nose.

I sighed, "Because I know what it feels like to think someone loves you when they necessarily don't ok…"

I looked away from him. I didn't want to know what he was thinking right now.

"What do you mean?"

I shook my head and started to roll up my jeans to reveal one of my many scars that I had. A huge pink scar made me shudder from the memories.

"I got this when I 'fell' down the stairs. Busted my knee open and had to get surgery," I didn't take time to look up at him as I fixed my hair to show him another scar on the back of my neck, "My dad pushed me and I hit my neck on the corner of a glass coffee table. I had to get the glass removed…it was really gross actually."

I felt his finger touch my neck and my muscles relaxed from the warmth coming off of his skin.

"My father hurt me, Seth. I thought he loved me, but he didn't care about me at all…so I guess you could say that I can relate to what she's going through in some sense."

He immediately wrapped his arms around my shoulders and held me tight against his chest. I gasped for air and he loosened his grip on me.

"Why didn't you tell me about this sooner?" he asked in the sweetest voice.

"That's really not a good way to make friends. I mean would you want to talk to me if I said, 'hey I was abused and now I'm messed up,' I smiled sarcastically.

He chuckled, "You are not messed up, and yes I would talk to you because you're amazing. And would you want to talk to me if I walked up to you and said, 'hey, I'm a werewolf and I imprinted on you," he flashed his white teeth.

I giggled, "I don't know…maybe…probably. But I don't know what imprinting is exactly…you never explained it to me."

"So you want to know what it is? Is that what you're getting at here?"

I nodded, "Please?" I pouted my lips and gave him the puppy dog eyes, just to tease him.

"That's not fair."

"Yes it is! It totally is! You win me over with your dog whimpering so I get to win you over with puppy eyes!"

"Dog whimpering?" he smiled.

I rolled my eyes, "You know what I mean…now tell me."

He sighed in defeat and I got comfortable. I felt anxious right now, finally I would understand. He took my hand and hesitated to say something.

"Or you can stay silent…" I kidded.

"It's hard to explain, that's all."

"Well…try…"

"Ok, when a werewolf imprints on someone it's when they first see them."

"So when you saw me you imprinted?" I asked.

"Right, and the person we imprint on is supposedly…our soul mate. So when I saw you, I immediately felt some sort of…pull. It was like you were holding my whole world in place and without you my world would crash down."

I smiled. It didn't bother me at all. Knowing that him and I were meant to be together made me feel like I had finally found my place in this world.

"I'm your soul mate?" I whispered.

"If you want to be, imprinting doesn't necessarily mean you have to be in love with me. If you want to just be friends than that's how it will be. If you just hate me then I'll let you hate me. I can't force you to love me if you don't. But I will always protect you, no matter what and I will always love you. That won't change."

I smiled, "I could never hate you, Seth, never," I kissed his jaw and didn't stop until I reached his lips again. We kept our lips pressed together for a couple of minutes.

"Ew, I should've stayed home!"

Our moment was ruined. There always seemed to be something interrupting us. I looked over and saw Leah with her back turned towards us.

"How the hell did you get in here?!" Seth shouted.

"The front door wasn't locked! Now stop sucking your girlfriends face so we can get this over with!"

I started to blush. Soon enough Jacob appeared in the door way, he started to laugh.

"Ok, Seth, rule number one…when you're making out with your girlfriend close the door and lock it!" he put his hand over his eyes and shook his head.

Seth kept his hand locked with mine as he got up from the bed. I quickly followed after him.

"They're coming too?" I asked.

"Yeah," he sighed.

When we got outside I didn't see a car. Sam and Emily's house wasn't too close.

"How are we getting there?" I asked. I looked off into the distance; two huge wolves were already running. Just as I realized how we were getting there Seth had already phased. He softly barked at me.

"You sure? I tend to get heavy…" I said.

He made a laughing noise and nudged me with his wet nose. I smirked at him and slowly climbed onto his back. Then I tightly grasped his dark fur.

"Now what do I have to make clicking noises?" I asked.

He shook his head and started to run. At first I felt unbalanced, but when he reached a steady pace I just relaxed. I didn't notice how fast he was going until I realized that Jacob and Leah weren't too far ahead. I was actually enjoying this. Feeling the wind hit my face and not feeling cold was pretty cool. So far I loved that my boyfriend was a werewolf.

It only took us a couple more minutes until we reached their house. I got off of Seth's back and almost fell because I was dizzy, but Seth caught me before I could hit the ground.

"Thanks," I said. He pressed his nose on my cheek and I smiled, "Hurry up and phase," I told him.

Then I walked up the steps and knocked on the door. I didn't have to wait long, Emily quickly opened it. She was smiling from ear to ear and she greeted me with a hug.

"Come in," she said. I turned my head only to see Leah and Jacob walking towards the house. Leah was hesitant and Jacob was basically pushing her up the steps. I turned my attention back to Emily, she was glowing and she looked so pretty. I didn't even notice that Leah and Jacob were next to me until I saw Sam staring at them, he looked happy while Leah looked like she was about to run out of the house. I felt Seth slip his hand through mine. I was calm at the moment, the only thing I had to do was keep my eyes on Emily instead of Sam so I wouldn't be tempted to hit him even if it would do nothing.

"So what's the news?" Leah asked in a less than happy tone.

Sam put both of his shoulders on Emily. I took a deep breath for some reason. I don't know why, but I felt nervous…

"I'm pregnant!" Emily declared.

I felt Seth tense up next to me and I heard a growl come out of his mouth. I looked up at him and he was eyeing Sam. My eyes went to Leah and her expression was blank, lifeless. And then I saw something that I wasn't expecting. I saw tears coming out of Leah Clearwater's eyes, but before anyone else could notice she wiped them away and inhaled deeply. At that point I despised Sam Uley. I wanted to knock some sense into him and make him realize what he was doing to Leah. But I didn't move, I stood still. Pain…I know how much it hurts…I understood what Leah was feeling right now…


	12. 11 Understanding

***gasp***

**fanfiction is working again???  
chyeahhh!!!!!**

**woot so i have another chapter that i have been waiting to post for a while *wipes off sweat from forehead***

**let me know what you guys think ;D**

Chapter 11

Understanding

Life is simple…right?

Wrong…

__

I wanted to scream in Sam's face right now. That stupid, inconsiderate, two-faced werewolf! I didn't even care if Seth attacked him. As long as he realized the pain Leah was in right now. But then again I had to be happy because Emily was my friend.

"Congrats guys," I said, trying to sound nice and normal. It didn't seem like anyone else was going to say something, so I did.

Seth was still tensed up next to me. I just kept my eyes on Emily and smiled.

"Thanks, Vanessa," she walked up to me and gave me a hug. I tried to let go of Seth's hand, but his grip was too tight and I was too weak. I looked up at him, but he didn't seem to notice me staring at him. He just kept glaring at Sam.

When Emily let go of me I tugged on Seth's arm, but it didn't do much. I know what I can do.

"Ouch," I yelled to get his attention.

His eyes immediately went to me, "What's wrong?" he asked in a worried tone.

Emily and Sam went into the other room with Jacob and Leah.

I rolled my eyes, "Nothing, just trying to get your attention."

"Sorry, I'm just angry," he said through his teeth.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and planted my lips onto his mouth. He started to smile and picked me up effortlessly so his lips could lock onto mine.

"Please, stop," I heard someone's voice say.

Another interruption. I looked over at the doorway. Leah was standing there with tears rolling down her face.

I pulled away from him and stared down at the floor in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry," I whispered.

"No, don't be," Seth said in my ear.

"Shut up, Seth just please shut up!" she put her hands over her face.

"Leah-,"

"No, don't say a word. Just let me be upset about this…leave me alone…" she headed towards the door and Seth and I just stood there watching her. She slammed the door behind her, making the pictures on the wall shake.

He sighed, "I don't know what to do for her."

I bit my lip and thought for a moment, "Let me try to talk to her."

"Are you sure? You don't have to."

I turned towards him and put my hand on his warm cheek, "I want to, just let me try, ok?"

He nodded his head and kissed my forehead, "I'll wait for you to come back," he softly whispered.

I smiled and when he let go of me I quickly walked out of the house. My eyes searched for her, maybe she phased. If she did, then I would never be able to catch up to her. I walked down the steps and put my hands in my pockets, looking to the left and then to the right of me, but not seeing any sign of her. Suddenly a rustling noise in the trees startled me. I walked towards the forest, I didn't care if it wasn't her I had to try. When I stepped through the trees I heard someone sobbing. It had to be her. I tried to go faster, but all of the plants were preventing me from quickening my pace.

Then I saw her sitting there like she didn't care about anything anymore. This was all too familiar because this was me once. I used to be the one sitting there feeling lifeless and not seeing any point in living anymore. I slowly took a couple steps towards her.

"Leah," I said quietly.

"Go away. Stop acting like you care and save yourself the stress by going back to Seth, ok?"

"I'm not acting, believe me," I took another step forward.

She snickered, "Sure. You know, you're just like the rest of them. You pretend to feel sorry for me and try to make me feel better, but in the end it only makes me feel worse about my pathetic life. So stop pretending and leave already."

"I'm not leaving and you can't make me."

I heard a growl come out of her mouth. She turned her head and glared at me, "Wanna bet?"

I kept a straight face and crossed my arms over my chest.

"You know I can kill you, right?" she said through her clenched teeth.

"Yeah, I know. But I don't care. I'm just here to try and help you-,"

She chuckled, "Help, you think you can help me?" she shook her head, "No one can help me. You don't know the pain I've gone through. You don't understand how broken I am. No one can fix me."

"Believe me, I understand pain," I raised one eyebrow.

"Right," she spat.

"Try me," I said.

"Ok," she stood up, "Have you ever been heartbroken before? Or felt so torn because your cousin's in love with the man you thought you'd be with forever? Better yet," she took one step towards me, "Have you ever been hurt so much that you just wanted to die?"

I looked down at the ground, closed my eyes, and nodded, "Yes," I said softly.

She chuckled, "Liar."

I picked my head up and looked at her face. She looked down at me with deceitful eyes.

"I'm not lying to you. I have been hurt beyond repair. Maybe not in the same way you've been hurt, but…in a way where I have wanted to die."

Her eyes narrowed, "How?" she asked in a different tone. Her voice wasn't harsh tone it was more of a curious sort of tone.

I looked to the right of me and then I looked back at her, "Let's just say my father didn't love me when I thought he did. But instead of verbally hurting me, he did it physically."

"Physically?" she whispered.

"Yes…" I admitted.

She didn't say anything. Both of us stood there silently. I waited for her to say something, but she didn't. So I decided to try and say something that would make her feel better about this whole thing.

"Look, I know this might not help, but you can't let this rule your life because if you do, then it's only going to hurt you worse than it should. I know how it feels to know that someone doesn't love you. And I know that you are strong. I'm not going to let my dad make me feel like I'm worthless and you shouldn't let Sam make you feel like he's the only guy out there for you."

She shook her head, "He was going to marry me and have a child with me," a tear rolled down her cheek, "I was so sure of my future and now…everything is completely ruined. But I can't tell him that because he's in love with my cousin now. I have to put on a happy face and act like everything is fine and I hate it," she sat down on the rock again.

I walked closer to her and sat on another rock.

"I know," I said, "And you shouldn't have to. But one thing I don't understand is…"

"What?" she asked.

I chuckled, "How can you stand there without punching him. I mean I know if I tried I would break my hand and I was so tempted to just do it, but I know you could…why didn't you just start yelling at him?"

She smiled and looked down at her hands, "Because a part of me does still care for him. I mean, he's moved on and all I want is for him to be happy…even if that means I'm left alone. When you care about someone you put their needs first…"

"You are not alone. You have Seth, and your mom, the whole pack…and…you have me…" I wanted her to trust me. She didn't speak and there was just a blank expression on her face which didn't help things because I couldn't tell if I was helping or not…most likely not…

"Yeah, right. My mom is always at Chief Swan's house because he doesn't know how to cook, Seth wouldn't understand because he's a typical boy, the pack…please they're all a bunch of assholes…well except for Jake he's ok…and you…" she didn't look at me as she said this, she just stared off into the distance. I waited for her to say something bad about me and tell me I'm not worth talking too. She inhaled deeply and then slowly let it go, "You're the only one who's ever come close to understanding how I feel…and I'm glad that I got to talk to you…"

A huge smile appeared on her face. She picked her head up and looked over at me. I smiled back.

"Well, I'm not sure if I understand completely…but I try," I said.

She nodded, "You come pretty close."

"Thanks," I pulled my legs up closer to my chest and wrapped my arms around my knees. Then I looked off into the trees and listened to the wind whistling in my ear. I took one deep breath and took in the sweet smell of moss.

"Can I ask you something?" Her voice interrupted my thoughts.

I cleared my mind and opened my eyes, "Mmhmm," I replied.

"Your father…" she looked down at the ground and searched for the right words to say to me, "Was he always like this?"

I shook my head from side to side. This was a question I knew the exact answer too. It was something that I would never forget as much as I wanted to.

"What happened…if I may ask."

I shuddered for a moment and opened my mouth to speak, "He used to be a doctor, a very good one. He and my mom were the perfect couple, well I thought they were. And my mom always supported him in whatever he did. She was a vet so both of them brought in enough income to support us."

I paused before I started to speak again, "I had an older brother. His name was Zach, and he was sixteen at the time while I was only ten. We were the perfect family, and all of us were really close to each other. I was especially close with Zach. He and I would do everything together…"

I felt my eyes starting to get damp and I closed them so that the tears wouldn't come out, "But then the worst thing that could happen, happened. My brother went on a class trip to Italy once and…he didn't come home…"

I didn't want to cry, I needed to be strong. I fought back the tears that I knew were coming now. I had never told any of my friends about this…and I wasn't planning on it today…but I guess I can't hide things anymore.

"We tried everything, we went to the police and even stayed in Italy for a while, but no one found him…so the police told us that there was nothing else they could do and they said his case would be clo-," I choked on the word, not wanting to say it, but knowing I had to, "closed," I said. "So to make a long story short, my dad dealt with the situation by drinking constantly and he lost his job…and I really miss both my dad and Zach…" I could no longer hold it in so I just opened my eyes and let the salty water pour out.

Leah wrapped her arms around me and rubbed my back, "I'm sorry," she whispered.

"It's f-f-fine," my voice was shaky, "Don't w-worry about it."

She pulled out of our hug and looked at me with a worried expression, "Look, I'm not good at these sort of things, but I really think you should talk to Seth about this or something. You know him so well, probably better than I know him, and I think that he would just be better at this whole thing…" she smiled.

I nodded my head, "It's getting late anyways," I wiped my cheeks sucked up the rest of the wet tears. Both of us stood up and stood there for a moment, "Thank you, Leah."

"No, thank you," she hugged me once more, "But don't tell any of the guys about this or they'll think I've had an epiphany or something. I don't want any of them underestimating me just because I'm the only girl werewolf."

I chuckled, "Your secrets safe with me."

She pulled out of our hug and quickly grinned at me, "Let's get back before someone thinks something bad happened," her eyes widened.

I laughed, "Yeah, let's go."

We started to walk again, knowing that this would change some things…for us two at least. Leah understands me in a way that no one else does. And I understand her in that same way. It was nice to know that I didn't have to hide things, I could actually trust people. It was the first time I ever felt sure enough to tell people my story.

I placed my hand on my neck and pulled out the necklace I never took off. I almost forgot about it. This was a gift from my brother that he gave me on my tenth birthday. It was the last thing I have from him. I kissed the gold charm and let it hang on my neck once again…

***

When we reached Sam and Emily's house Leah and I were both hesitant to walking up the steps. We stopped right in front of the house and looked up at the door. I heard a sigh come out of her mouth.

"You go get Seth and Jake, I'll wait out here…" she said as her eyes flashed between the bright windows and then the door.

I didn't need to say anything or question her decision. So I walked up the steps alone and before I could knock Seth was pulling me up into his arms and holding me against his warm chest. I rested my head on his shoulder and let his skin warm me up from the cold evening. I didn't mind that my feet were no longer touching the ground; I was too caught up in the moment.

"How'd it go?" he whispered in my ear.

"Really good actually," I felt him kiss the top of my head and he squeezed me even more. I gasped for air, "Seth…can't…breathe."

He quickly let go of me and smiled, "Sorry, Ness."

I grinned, "It's ok. I'm used to it."

He laughed once and took my hand. Leah and Jacob had already walked off together. I didn't even see him pass us…I guess I was too caught up in the moment. I shrugged it off and walked down the steps.

My eyes were locked on the beautiful peach colored sky above me. I remember this rare moment that I had when I first moved here. I remember the relief I felt to be in such a wonderful place, able to escape the past and start a new beginning. I felt Seth let go, but it didn't affect me enough to look. I kept my eyes on the setting sun and smiled.

A barking noise interrupted my thoughts. I looked to the left of me and saw the familiar wolf again. A smiled appeared on my face as I stepped towards it. I looked down only to see pieces of his clothing scattered on the sidewalk. A giggle escaped from my mouth.

"I hope you have more clothes," I said.

I could see his eyes roll and he nudged me with his wet nose.

"I was only kidding Seth," I placed myself on his back and tightly gripped his fur. Then half a second later he was already half way down the street. I turned my head to watch the sky as we passed each house and enjoyed the breeze that hit my face.

It didn't take us long to reach my house. Only a couple of minutes later we were on our block. He slowed down his pace and finally stopped when we reached the front porch of my house. I put my feet back onto the ground and brushed myself off even though I wasn't really dirty.

"Go get some clothes,' I pointed to his house and started to walk up the steps. He darted into his backyard. I took one more look at the setting sun while I waited for him, but I didn't have to wait long.

I felt his hand take mine and I smiled.

"The lights are on, so that means my mom is home," I gave him a warning glance.

"And?" he looked down at me and his smile made my heart jump.

"And if you want to avoid awkward conversations then I suggest you go home…like now."

"I'm only staying for you. Won't your mom give us some privacy?" he asked.

I sighed, "I have no idea," I looked at the door and put my key into the lock. I quickly opened it up and led the way inside the brightly lit up house, "Mom?" I shouted.

"Hi honey! How was your day?" she said.

"It was good," I kept walking, but felt something tugging me backward.

I heard a low grumble come from deep inside of him and I turned my head, letting go of his hand and crossing my arms over my chest, "There is nothing dangerous or scary about my house," I stated.

"Maybe nothing scary, but something pesky," his eyes narrowed and I followed his stare.

I raised one eyebrow at the sight of a small, black cat with bright yellow eyes. This was something I was used to…my mom is a vet and she sometimes would bring home animals…

It was staring at Seth and hissing at him and Seth started growling.

"Down boy," I put my arms out in front of me and smiled, "You do know you're acting ridiculous right?"

He turned his attention to me and placed his hands on my arms, reeling me towards him, "It's a known fact that cats and dogs don't get along."

"You are acting so cliché right now."

He chuckled, "I know," then he placed his lips on mine and kissed me passionately. I let my curiosity take over as I licked his lips with my tongue and waited for his response. He smiled and let me do what I wanted to do. Then a couple of seconds later I pulled away, "I love you," I whispered to him.

"I love you too," he replied.

I smiled and locked his lips with mine again only hoping that there wouldn't be anything to interrupt us this time…

**QUESTION FOR ALL READERS (pretty random too)  
**

**ok i have to say that i am a HUGE fan of the musical RENT**

**anyone like that musical??? XD**

**well...you need to review in order to answer and if you don't answer than i will not do anything with my idea i had... . . (so review)  
**


	13. 12 I'll Cover You

**ok sooo...i did it...i used my RENT idea....**

**this is basically just a filler chapter and its fun because of the rent stuff =]**

**and i am dedicating this chapter to Ashley a.k.a sodapop who is my rent buddy =D  
**

**Ashley i hope you like this chapter!!! haha review it!!! ML, SL, RHL, RL, CL, and AL (haha don't ask we're nerds...) **

**soo yeah if you like rent then i bet you'll like this chapter...if you don't then you'll still like it =P**

Chapter 12

I'll Cover You

This week went by way too quickly. I felt like I didn't even go to school, or my classes, or back home again. It was just a blur. So the weekend is here again…I don't know why, but Seth wants me to meet the…Cullens. I'm a little nervous because they are vampires, but Seth told me that he wouldn't let anything happen to me. And Jacob is coming with us; I guess it's because of that Renesmee girl he imprinted on. So I am excited to finally see her, but still scared to be in the same room with a bunch of blood sucking vampires…

I need to watch a good musical…

__

"Hello Sadie," I walked down the staircase and passed the little black cat my mother brought home. She told me that the cat had been brought to the shelter because she was abused by her old owners… sounds familiar…and my mother has wanted a pet for so long. She knew I was afraid of dogs and when she found Sadie she felt a connection with her or something. I had to laugh because I immediately thought of me and Seth…oops….

But I've grown fond of her and named her Sadie because I thought it was unique and different.

I ran my fingers through her fur once and then I walked into the living room and planted myself onto the couch. I sat there for a couple of minutes, just listening to the rain hit the windows and staring at the blank TV in front of me.

I heard footsteps coming into the room and I slightly turned my head to see what my mother was doing.

"Ness, I need to go to the grocery store. I should be back soon," she came into the room and kissed the top of my head.

"Bye, mom," I said.

Her footsteps went towards the door and for a couple seconds I could hear the rain better. I sighed as she closed the door and Sadie jumped up onto the couch, curling up next to me.

"Do you think the vampires will eat me, Sadie?" I scratched behind her left ear and she purred, "That doesn't help me much."

My house was completely empty. I told Seth to go home last night because he was constantly watching over me and not sleeping. And supposedly werewolves need more sleep than humans so he was probably and hopefully sleeping in.

"We should watch a movie," I said to Sadie…well she was basically asleep so it was more to myself. I groaned and hesitantly got up off of the couch to grab a movie from the DVD rack. I ran my fingers up and down the DVDs and searched for one.

"No, no, no," I went through each one, "No, no, no…" one of the movies, one of my favorites too, caught my eye, "Yes!"

I grabbed it out of its place and hurried over to the TV again. My eyes scanned over the cover for a moment and then I slipped it into the DVD player. Sadie meowed once, "Shh!" I put my finger over my mouth and wrapped a blanket around myself as I waited for my movie to begin.

Sadie stared up at me with curious eyes, "It's Rent, Sadie. One of the best musicals alive," I turned my attention back to the movie and got excited when the music started playing. I'm such a rent-head…

***

About half way through the movie my throat started to hurt because of all the singing I was doing. Even though I wasn't any good at it I still sang because no one was around to hear it. I got up from the couch and walked into the kitchen.

"We'll open up a restaurant in Santa Fe, and save from devastation our brains," I sang as I opened up the refrigerator and took out a water bottle, "We'll pack up all our stuff and fly so far away. Devote ourselves to projects that sell."

I walked back into the living room…well it was more like danced, but in a weird uncoordinated way. My eyes were half way closed so I wasn't paying attention as to where I was going. I suddenly felt myself bump into something and nearly tripped over it. But someone's hands were on my arm before I could reach the ground. I looked up, knowing who it was, but hoping that it wasn't him right now when I was acting weird. His dark eyes were staring down at me, he looked confused.

"Did you see that?" I asked, looking back at the kitchen.

He half smiled and nodded. I groaned and started to blush.

"Please don't tell anyone…"

"I would never," he pulled me up and tried to hide his laughter by coughing. I stared down at the floor in embarrassment. His warm finger lifted my chin up and he forced me to look at him, "I thought it was cute," he kissed my forehead and I grinned.

Suddenly, I heard music come on again and I gasped, trying to tug Seth over to the couch.

"What's wrong with you?" he asked as I tried and tried to make him move.

"One of my favorite songs is on," I laughed as he remained unmoved, "Please," I pouted my lower lip and gave him the puppy dog eyes. He tried to resist by not looking at me, but he couldn't so he sighed in defeat and sat down onto the couch, opening his arms so I could sit in them. I quickly hurried over and planted myself in his lap. He stared at me instead of the TV and watched as I hummed to the music.

I rested my head on his chest and listened to the song.

_Just slip me on, I'll be your blanket. Wherever whatever I'll be your coat_

I looked up at Seth.

_You'll be my king and I'll be your castle _

_No, you'll be my queen and I'll be your moat _

the lyrics made me think of him and how much I cared for him and loved him. He laughed and shook his head at the movie. Then I turned my attention back to the screen staring at Collins and Angel,

_I think they meant it when they said you can't buy love. _

_Now I know you can rent it, a new lease you are my love_

I slipped my hand through Seth's,

_On life, all my life._

I watched Seth as he watched the TV, expressionless. His dark eyes were filled with meaning, but I didn't know what that meaning was. Then he looked down at me and pressed both of our foreheads together as the song rolled through our ears.

_With a thousand sweet kisses, if you're cold and you're lonely, I'll cover you, _

_With a thousand sweet kisses, you've got one nickel only, I'll cover you,_

_With a thousand sweet kisses, when you're worn out and tired, I'll cover you,_

_With a thousand sweet kisses, when your heart has expired, I'll cover you,_

_Oh lover, I'll cover you_

_Yeah_

_Oh lover, I'll cover you…._

I stared into his eyes and he stared into mine and he opened his mouth to speak, "With a thousand sweet kisses, I'll cover you," he said softly yet clearly. Then our lips touched and he kissed me fiercely and forcefully, but not too forcefully. His hot lips made me sweat and I could feel the blood rushing to my face, but I didn't care. I was too into the kiss to care. He put his hand on my back and pushed me closer to him so both of our chests were touching now. I felt myself run out of breath, but I didn't want to stop. I locked my fingers in his hair so he wouldn't pull away. But when I gasped for air and pulled away immediately, my fingers didn't even affect him one bit.

"Did I hurt you?" he asked, breathing heavily.

"No…not at all," I smiled and put my hand on his warm cheek, "You could never hurt me, Seth," I whispered.

I could hear Sadie hissing from behind me and I rolled my eyes, "Not now, Sadie."

Seth smiled at me and rubbed my back with the palm of his hand. I could hear Sadie move from her place and Seth flinched a little. He growled at her and was no longer paying attention to me. I sighed and moved away from him, realizing that he got bit by Sadie. Knowing that he would heal fast I didn't react to this, I just sat back and waited for their little temper tantrum to be over with. Both of them just glared at each other, it was more like a death stare.

"Seth, can you please restrain yourself from killing my cat. I'm pretty sure my mother wouldn't like to see cat bits all over the place when she gets home."

He relaxed his muscles and looked at me, but Sadie was still tensed up. A sigh escaped from my mouth.

"I'll make her food so that she'll get distracted," I got up from the couch, paused the movie, and headed for the kitchen, "Come on, Sadie," I called.

Her collar jingled as she followed me into the kitchen. I quickly took out her food bowl and her dry food while humming the tune to I'll Cover You. Sadie sat patiently next to me, staring at every movement I made. When I finished mixing up the food I placed it down on the floor where she usually ate and quickly hurried back into the living room.

Seth opened his arms for me to sit in them again and I nestled myself into his lap. He pressed the play button on the remote for me and took both of my hands in his as we watched the next part of the movie together…

***

We reached the saddest part of the movie…when Angel, one of my favorite characters, dies. I cried at this part both because I could never imagine losing someone I loved so suddenly and because now it hit me harder more than it ever did. I knew the reason was Seth because I loved him and I didn't want to ever have to think about what I would do without him.

The I'll Cover You Reprise song came on. The music in itself made me want to cry because of the lyrics. Especially the line when your heart has expired. It is one of the saddest lines to me.

I felt tears starting to come out of the corner of my eyes and I quickly wiped them away, a little embarrassed because Seth might think I was overreacting. But when he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me in closer to his chest to let me cry I knew he understood why I was acting this way.

He kissed the top of my head a couple of times and let me soak his shirt with my salty tears. I felt bad about ruining his perfectly clean shirt, but he wouldn't let me pull away. I didn't want to pull away either…

***  
When we reached the ending scene of the movie I got nervous again about meeting the Cullens. Maybe Seth forgot about it and we didn't have to go…but who am I kidding…he doesn't really forget things that easily…

_There is no future  
There is no past_

_Thank God this  
Moment's not the last_

_There's only us  
There's only this  
Forget regret or  
Life is yours to miss_

_No other road no other way  
No day but today_

I sighed and started to trace patterns on Seth's arm. He seemed to be watching the movie more now, maybe he liked it.

I looked up at his face and opened my mouth to say something.

"So…" I said.

He looked down at me and smiled, "So."

"Am I really going to meet the vampires today?" I asked.

"You mean the Cullens."

I rolled my eyes, "Sure, whatever."

The movie finally ended and I got up and turned off the DVD. I turned around and crossed my arms over my chest. He sat there staring at me with a half smile. I tried not to melt and get all soft now because I really didn't want to meet a bunch of vampires that could kill me in a matter of two seconds, but it was really hard to resist that smile. I tapped my foot on the wood floor and waited for his response.

"You don't want to meet them?" he said, breaking the silence.

I sighed, "It's not so much that I don't want to meet them," I walked over to the couch again and sat next to him, "It's the fact that they could…kill me…"

He turned towards me and placed both of his hands on my cheeks, staring into my eyes, "They will not kill you, Ness or even touch you for that matter. I won't let them."

I nodded and wrapped my arms around his neck.

"I love you, don't ever forget that," he kissed my collarbone.

"I won't," I whispered in his ear.

His woodsy scent lingered through my nose and made me feel calmer. I knew that there was no way in predicting how today would go. But I had Seth and Jacob, two huge werewolves. So, it would be ok…I mean the vampires wouldn't try to hurt us. It was the doctor's family and he was nice, so there shouldn't be a problem. Nothing bad will happen…no it will be fine…

Ok now I'm just getting too nervous about this whole situation…

**So...what did you think??**

**i hope you are all excited to see what happens next when Vanessa meets the Cullens**

**and a little question for all of you...**

**What do you think will happen when Vanessa sees that Jasper is a part of the Cullen clan??? since he did try to kill her how do you think she will react??**

**let me know your answer by reviewing =]**


	14. 13 Not Him

**i finally updated! haha i'm sorry it took me so long...this chapter was really hard to write**

**thank you to all of you who have read and reviewed my story...i really appreciate it**

**let me know what you think ;]  
**

Chapter 13

Not Him

They won't hurt me unless I let them. They won't hurt me unless I let them…

My thoughts were set on that line while Seth phased. My arms and legs were trembling and I didn't move towards him because I was literally scared at this point….as if he didn't notice…

He walked over to where I was standing and sat down. I didn't look at him because I didn't want to see his face right now. He didn't bark or even nudge me, he just waited patiently for me. Well we would probably be standing here for a while because I wasn't planning on moving, unless Seth made me.

"They won't hurt me unless I let them," I muttered under my breath. I tried to say it softly so Seth wouldn't hear it, but by the big sigh that came out of his mouth I knew it didn't work. He was standing in front of me less than a second later and he just stared at me with encouraging eyes. I knew he was trying to make me feel better about this whole thing...and I think it was working because I was no longer shaking uncontrollably. I really hate it when he makes me melt like that because then I seem like a wimp…but oh well…I was his wimp.

I could hear footsteps come up from behind me and I immediately turned around.

"Hey Jake," I said.

"Not ready to leave I see," he stopped in front of me and Seth.

I looked down, feeling embarrassed. Ok now I just look stupid.

Seth grunted beside me and both of us waited for Jacob to phase. I kept my stare on Seth, trying to understand what he was trying to tell me through his eyes. All I saw was love in them. Maybe I was wrong, but I was pretty sure that I was correct about this. It was as if he was reminding me that he loved me even though I knew that already. I'm bad at reading people, really bad. A second werewolf appeared next to Seth. Jacob looked off into the distance instead of looking at us.

I almost forgot…he imprinted on someone too, that half human, half vampire girl I think. What was her name? Crap, now I feel even worse, I should know this. I was going to meet her in a matter of minutes.

"Replay, hell no…Roxy, no…Elle…" I heard both of the werewolves laughing beside me, "Shut up!" I demanded. I focused on thinking of what her name was again. It really doesn't help when both of them are werewolves who can only bark and laugh like hyenas , "Renee?" I looked over at Jacob, his eyes narrowed. Was I close? "Is it something with an R?" I asked. Both of them started laughing again and Seth finally nudged me, like always.

I rolled my eyes and slowly placed myself onto his back, grabbing a bunch of his fur in both of my hands.

"Can you tell me her name?" I whispered in his ear.

He shook his head and quickly took off…

***

I felt dizzy when we reached the house. It wasn't from the ride there or because I didn't eat enough. It was because of the too perfect house I was standing in front of. This is the type of house a bunch of vampires live in? I shook my head. Well I guess it makes sense since he is a doctor. My mom's a vet, but she doesn't go around spending the money on stuff like this. Oh well…

I didn't even notice that Seth left my side for a moment to phase until I heard his footsteps coming towards me. He took my hand and kissed my left temple. I took one deep breath.

"It'll be fine, Vanessa," he reassured me, "They're not called vegetarian vampires for nothing."

I chuckled, "You're right," I said, my eyes were glued to the mansion in front of me.

"Umm…there's a couple things you should know though…"

I finally managed to take my eyes off of the house and looked at him.

"One's a mind reader, one can see the future, and another can control the emotions of the people around them. So if you suddenly feel calm when you were scared two seconds before, don't be alarmed. And don't think anything you wouldn't want someone to hear."

I gave him a crazy look. I know I shouldn't be confused, but I was. Never in my life did I feel unsafe in my own mind or scared to feel a certain way.

"Yeah that's not complicated whatsoever," I said.

He smiled and I saw Jacob walk into the house. Seth looked over at the door and took both of my hands now.

"You ready?" he asked.

I took another deep breath and hesitantly nodded. Then he pulled me in closer to him and pounded his lips onto mine. A giggle came out of my mouth. It was a strong kiss and my heart was racing. When he pulled away it only left me wanting him more, but I guess that could wait.

"I love you," his soft voice echoed in my ears.

"And you already know I love you. Now let's get this over with," I put on a smile, a weak smile, and he led the way towards the huge house. I shuddered for a quick second and then I took my first step towards the door, keeping my mind clear and trying to stay calm.

And when we finally walked up the last step someone was opening the door already. I held my breath, not knowing who it was. When I recognized him I exhaled loudly.

"Nice to see you again, Vanessa," Dr. Cullen said to me with a genuine smile.

"Welcome to our home," a voice said from behind him. Soon enough a beautiful woman with curly brunette hair, pale skin, and the prettiest golden eyes I've ever seen, popped up next to him, "I'm Esme."

"Nice to meet you, Esme," I said quietly, gripping Seth's hand tighter and tighter.

"Well, come inside," she smiled and directed us inside the house with her pale hand. I glanced up at Seth and he reassuringly grinned at me. Then I took one step inside of the house, and my eyes went wide. Seriously, everything was perfect. Nothing was out of its place and not a speck of dust was left on the furniture. I was completely astonished by the sight of a kitchen, yes an actual kitchen, to the left of me. I mean vampires didn't eat human food…they ate humans. I seriously hope they don't keep humans in there…

"No, we don't," a male voice said. I turned my head around and stopped thinking. The mind reading one. Wow that will get annoying fast…

"It usually does," he came into sight. He had the most perfect crooked smile and bronze hair, with the same pale skin and golden eyes as Carlisle and Esme. I knew he was answering my thoughts.

"Hi," I said weakly and then looked down.

"Hello," he replied, "I'm Edward."

"Nice to meet you," I felt Seth kiss my hair and I smiled. It made me feel better.

More inhumanly beautiful people…I mean vampires came into sight. One had curly brunette hair with a smile plastered on her face as she took Edward's hand. She looked over at me with gentle eyes. The other was only a little bit shorter than her with surprisingly rosy cheeks instead of deadly pale ones. Her bronze hair matched Edward's.

"This is my wife, Bella," Edward introduced her and kissed her hand that he was holding and turned to the other girl, "And my daughter, Renesmee."

Oh so this was her name. She's very pretty I must say. Well they're all beautiful, but she was…different from them. Maybe it was because she was half human half vampire. I glanced over at Jacob who quickly went to Renesmee's side and took her hand. His eyes lit up and I wanted to just say aww at the perfect site I saw. They seemed perfect for each other.

I saw Edward's grin grow wider.

"Seth has told us all so much about you, I feel like I already know you," Bella commented.

I looked up at him and saw that he was blushing now, "He did, did he?"

"Mmhmm," she replied.

More footsteps came down the stairs, but my eyes were set on Seth. He stared at me too and kissed me on the cheek once.

"You're doing great so far," he whispered.

"I hope so," I replied as softly as he did.

Two more beautiful vampires caught my eye. One was so beautiful, probably the most beautiful out of the whole bunch.

"Nice to see you again, mutt," she crossed her arms over her chest and glared at Jacob, not even noticing me or Seth.

"I see you never changed blondie," he grinned.

The next one was huge…really huge. And he could probably snap me like a twig. I stepped behind Seth, alarmed by his big, bulky muscles.

"He's completely harmless," Edward commented.

I saw him pinch his nose, "I'm Emmett. Nice to see another human around here," he waved and smiled.

I stared at him in confusion. I didn't really smell anything…

I smelled myself to make sure that I didn't smell bad and I didn't I smelled perfectly fine.

Edward laughed, "To us vampires werewolves smell terrible and vice versa. And since you're around werewolves you tend to smell like them after a while."

"It smells disgusting," Emmett added while waving his hand in front of his mouth.

"I'm sorry?" I said…well it was more of a question so I asked.

Everyone in the room laughed and I no longer felt uncomfortable or scared or nervous. All of it seemed to wash away suddenly. All of these vampires seemed harmless. Some of them nicer than others, but I felt like I fit right in with the Cullens. A smile finally appeared on my face and I looked up at Seth to see a proud expression on his face.

A couple more people walked into the room and I felt completely at ease and calm. I didn't take the time to look at them because I was lost in Seth's dark eyes. He stared down at me in the same trance that I was in. But suddenly something broke our trance, Edward's voice.

"Stay, she'll be fine," I heard him say.

Seth's expression suddenly turned to fear. He closed his eyes and squeezed my hands.

"Damn it," he muttered.

"What?" I asked.

"Jasper, don't go!" Edward demanded.

That name sounded so familiar. I knew this name…but how? It was on the tip of my tongue.

Seth's eyes slowly opened and he turned his gaze to the figures across the room. My eyes followed his stare and I saw two more vampires. One was short with pixie like features and spiky black hair. She seemed very dainty. Then my eyes went to the other male figure standing next to her and staring me down. My smile suddenly turned into a terrified frown as I realized who this was.

This can't be happening.

"Not him," I whispered so softly that I could barely even hear myself speak. I placed myself directly behind Seth and buried my face into his shoulder blade.

"It's ok, he's not going to hurt you," Seth told me.

"How can you be so sure when he tried to kill me not too long ago?!" I shouted, not even caring that he could probably hear me. That monster tried to kill me and I wasn't ready to just become his friend and meet him.

I started to shake in fear. All of the memories of that day, when I almost got killed, ran through my mind. The pain, the fear, and every single emotion I felt during that time. It all triggered something in me and made a salty tear roll down my cheek.

"What's wrong?" I heard someone faintly whisper.

"Here," the young girl, Renesmee, said. I opened one of my eyes and stared as she touched Bella's cheek.

When Renesmee took her hand away, Bella immediately looked at me and smiled, "There's no reason to be scared," she explained.

"Right, because being in a house full of vampires isn't scary at all," I said sarcastically.

Seth turned his head towards me, while the rest of them just stood there casually. I glanced over at that monster, Jasper and he was concentrating on me. I didn't feel scared anymore, I felt abnormally calm, but I didn't want to feel calm.

"Stop it!" I shouted at him, "Just stop!"

I let go of Seth and ran out of the house, hoping that no one would follow me, but knowing that Seth would. Once my feet touched the ground I decided to run into the forest because I didn't want them to find me…maybe Seth…but not the bloodsuckers and especially not Jasper.

My feet trudged through the mud on the forest floor. I tried to go faster, but the mud was preventing me from quickening my pace. I turned my head and looked back at the house, feeling another tear coming out of my eyes and more following. There was no reason to cry, I just felt like it.

When I could no longer handle the mud I stopped. I didn't get very far and it wouldn't be far enough, but I wanted to give up. So many times I've wanted to give up. I'm just a failure. My dad hates me, my mom is never home, and my boyfriend is friends with monsters that want to kill me. My life is screwed up and the only thing that keeps it intact is Seth…the only person I truly love is Seth. And he's the only reason why I won't end my life right now…

I looked down at my dirty shoes covered in a brown layer of dirt. I didn't care…

When I picked my head up again I shuddered.

"Get away from me!" I shouted.

Jasper stared at me with horrified eyes. Why was he horrified? I should be the one that's scared right now! A freaking vampire was two feet away from me and there was no one here to prevent him from killing me!

"Why are you here?" I sobbed.

He didn't say a word, he just stared at me. Great, I'm doomed. It was probably his dinner time right now and his meal was standing right in front of him. It would be easy...

"You want to kill me, fine. Get it over with. I'm done trying…"

I heard him take one step forward and I extended my arm towards him so he had a clear target. The pain would be easy to endure because I've always felt pain and I was used to it.

I looked up at the grey sky and said my goodbyes in my head. I knew Edward would hear it and I didn't want to disturb this monster, so I thought it instead of actually saying it.

_Tell Seth I love him, Edward, please, _that was my last thought, before I felt two cold hands grasp my arm. His cool breath was touching my skin, sending chills down my spine.

"You have scars," I heard his voice for the first time. I kept my head pointed towards the sky. Why was he trying to make conversation with me now?

"Yeah, what's your point? Are you trying to find a good spot to sink your teeth into or what?" I asked dryly.

"The werewolf scent doesn't appeal to me. Maybe if you weren't around him so much you would smell delicious, but at the moment you're safe," he ran his fingers up and down my arm, curiously.

I didn't feel numb anymore. Instead I felt…cold…

My lips started quivering both from his freezing touch and the cool breeze. He lifted his palm off of my arm and only touched it with his fingers now.

"You have very strong emotions," he said in a beautiful voice.

"Ok…"

He looked up at me and smiled…he actually smiled. He didn't look like a monster, he actually looked beautiful.

"I truly am sorry about…last time," he stated, looking at my left arm now and staring at the stitches.

I put my hand over my arm and sighed, "It's ok."

He didn't say anything else, he just kept staring at my scars. He must have really good eyes because those scars were from a really long time ago.

"So you're not going to bite me," I stared at him.

He grinned, "No."

"Then why do you keep staring at my arm?"

"It's not normal for a human to have so many scars," he commented.

I tried to pull my arm out of his grip, but he was too strong. Ugh, I hate the fact that both werewolves and vampires were really strong…

"What can I say I'm klutzy."

"You expect me to believe that?" he raised one eyebrow.

"Yeah, I kinda do."

I pulled my sleeve over all of the scars on my arm so that he couldn't see them anymore.

"What you were feeling…before I got here," he shook his head, "It was strong, very strong. I've never felt something so…painful in all my years."

Yeah, that's not creepy at all. Really if he wasn't Seth's friend I would totally get a restraining order against him right now.

"So…I'm sensitive, that's all," when I felt him take his hands off me ever so slightly I tried to dodge towards the house, but he was already in front of me before I could even take two steps forward. I sighed, "You say you're not here to kill me and then you use your vampire speed just to catch up to me. What do you want?"

I waited for his response, but he didn't say a word. He suddenly moved his hand and grabbed his sleeve only to reveal faded crescent shaped scars all up his arm. Then he rolled up the other sleeve with just as many faded scars on it. They looked like…bite marks.

"You were hurt?" I took a step closer to him.

He nodded.

I raised my hand and extended it forward. For the very first time today I didn't feel nervous or scared, even if Jasper did change my emotions a few times. I leaned my head in closer to him and examined the marks all over him. They were really hard to see, but I knew they were there.

"Were you?" his voice interrupted my thoughts. My thoughts that didn't have anything to do with my screwed up life.

"Was I what?" I already knew what he was asking me, but maybe, hopefully, I was wrong.

"Hurt."

I shut my eyes.

Note to self…don't ever think you're good at keeping secrets because you're not.

"Do you really want to know? Better yet, do you really care?"

He took one deep breath. I thought vampires didn't need to breathe?

"Would I be asking you if I didn't care?" he replied.

Damn, I thought I stumped him for a moment…

"I guess not."

We both stood there in silence. I didn't want to tell him nor did I think he had the right to know.

"I'm not going to force you to tell me. All I wanted was for you to know that I am truly sorry about what happened. And if I made you feel this way…this pain…then-,"

I interrupted him by sighing, "Ok, fine!"

He kept his mouth shut and waited for my response, calming me down in the process. I sat down on a rock, knowing that explaining myself would take a while.

"You want to know the truth, fine," He stood there as still as stone. Not moving or even breathing for that matter, "Yes, I was hurt. And yes those scars are the result. But no…you're not the reason why I feel pain."

"Who is?" he stared into my eyes and they seemed to be telling me that I could trust him.

"My father," I opened my mouth and didn't know if I actually said something because I could barely even hear myself speak.

For a second he didn't react to any of this. But then he sat next to me. He didn't try to mess with my emotions, he just let me feel what I was feeling.

"How did you get those…marks?" I said, looking down at his arm.

"I was in a vampire army. I fought newborns and got bit a few times."

"A few?" I tried to ease the tension.

He smiled, "Ok I got bit more than a few times."

Both of us laughed.

Wait, was I actually laughing with him?

"What are newborns?" I asked.

His smile slowly faded, "It's what we call new vampires. Get it, new-borns?"

I nodded.

"So consider it as being a baby, you don't know much about this life, but you learn. Newborns want one thing and one thing only, blood. These newborn armies were created to fight and for nothing more. So our mission was to take them down."

My eyes widened and I froze.

"You were all like this?"

"Yes, all of us," he didn't hesitate to answer my question. It was easy for him to answer, but it was hard for me to find the right words to respond to that statement, "There's nothing to worry about though. No newborns will be killing you anytime soon."

I was confused, "And that's supposed to make me feel better how?"

He chuckled, "I have no idea."

He got up from where we were sitting and reached his pale hand out to take mine. I smiled and grabbed it, flinching from the icy feeling of his skin.

"Let's get back before someone thinks I killed you and didn't share."

I laughed, "Yeah you're real great at making a human feel better."

"Aren't I though?" he half smiled.

We walked back to the house and Jasper stayed at my side the whole time. He could've gone faster, but he didn't.

I didn't know what this meant. Were Jasper and I…friends now?


	15. 14 One Vision, One Voice

**so in this chapter i'm going to have Alice's POV...you'll see why its very crucial to the plot...and yeah just let me know if you like where this is going so far ;] **

Chapter 14

One Vision, One Voice

**Alice's POV**

A vision. One vision that I wasn't expecting to have.

I saw Aro, Jane, Demetri, and another new vampire coming here. I knew what this meant. They were coming to 'check' on Renesmee. We all knew this would happen, but I wasn't expecting it to be this soon. Yes Nessie was seven years old, but something about this just didn't feel right. My vision was clear for once. All of those werewolves have been driving me crazy lately.

"They're coming back?" Edward asked me.

I turned around.

"Yes, but for some reason I can't see what the outcome will be."

He thought about it for a moment, "Werewolves?"

I cursed inside my head, "Why would they be involved though?"

He shrugged, "Keep trying, I'll tell Carlisle."

"Can we keep the pack away for now? So I can see?" I asked, hoping for a yes.

He nodded, "I'll let Sam know."

"Thanks," I said.

And with that he walked away. I immediately started to rub my temples.

Another vision.

I saw the Volturi Guard. There were more of them. Aro was speaking to one of the newest members. He was tall, about sixteen I presume, and he had the most peculiar eyes. They weren't crimson red, but instead they were…grey.

"If they try to attack then make sure you stop them. Use your power to restrain them," Aro said.

I gasped as my vision ended. This vampire was powerful, very powerful. He could control someone's mind and make them do anything he wants. This was a huge disadvantage. If we needed to fight the four vampires that were coming, then we would need more help.

"Carlisle!" I screamed.

**Vanessa's POV**

"Seth, stop! Let's just go!" I tried to hold him back.

He got all defensive because some guy was harassing me. I didn't really care, I just shrugged it off, but Seth wouldn't let it go. He gently moved me aside and stormed over to where the kid's locker was. I sighed and followed after him.

_So embarrassing, _I thought.

Seth already had the kid pinned up against the lockers when I got there.

"If you ever so much as lay one hand, no one finger on her again I will surely kill you!" His harsh tone made everyone around us cringe in fear.

Jacob and Quil tried to pull him back, but he wasn't budging. The kid looked like he was about to cry at this point. I felt kind of bad for him. When Jacob and Quil finally managed to get Seth to let go the kid ran.

"Calm down, Seth," Quil said.

I could tell that he was trembling. All of the people in the hallway were staring at him and just waiting for his rampage to be over with.

"There's nothing to see now get the hell outta here!" Jacob hissed at the students and they all actually listened.

"A little help here," Quil looked at me.

I finally stepped in and put both of my hands on Seth's cheeks, forcing him to look me in the eye.

"Seth, please. You don't want to do this, not here," I whispered.

I could still feel the vibration of his skin on my fingertips.

"Try something else," Jacob told me.

"Will this work?"

I reached up and kissed his lips, keeping them together until I could no longer feel him shaking. A couple people whistled while some made gagging noises.

"Yeah that works," Jake sighed.

Seth finally came out of his trance and pulled me up into his arms. I giggled and pulled my lips away.

"Sorry," he said, softly.

"You should be. Now that kid is probably having a panic attack because of what you did to him."

He laughed and let go of me only to take my hand instead. All three of us started to walk out of the school.

Jacob's phone rang in his pocket.

"Renesmee?" he said, "What's wrong baby?"

Quil rolled his eyes. I looked at Jacob's face as his smile turned into an angry frown.

"I'm co-," he got cut off.

We all waited for him to start speaking again.

"The hell with that pixie stick! I'm not just gonna sit here knowing that they're coming!"

I felt Seth freeze next to me. I looked up at him and he started growling. Great, more drama.

"Tell Edward I'll see what I can do…I love you," Jacob pulled the phone away from his ear and forcefully closed it, almost breaking it in the process. "Quil, come with me. Seth," Jacob looked at me with a worried expression, "Take Vanessa home and meet me at Sam's place."

Seth nodded.

"But…" before I could say another word, Seth pulled me up into his arms. I immediately wrapped my arms around his neck and stared at his face, waiting for him to explain. We walked one way while Jacob and Quil walked in the opposite direction. When I could no longer see them I decided to try and get some answers out of him.

"What's going on?" I asked.

He kept his eyes forward and ignored my question.

I sighed and took my arms off of his neck, nestling into his chest instead. I knew that he wouldn't talk so I was giving up. I didn't expect to fall asleep, but I did. I started to have a dream…a very weird dream…

_My heart was beating so loudly that I could hear every beat. In fact, it was the only thing I heard at the moment. I didn't know where I was. It was pitch black and I couldn't see anything. _

_Suddenly I heard someone breathing heavily from behind me. I quickly turned around, it was stupid of me to think that I would know who it was since there was no sign of the sun, or any light for that matter._

"_Don't let them control you," the voice faintly said, "You are the only one who can decide for yourself."_

"_What do you mean?" I replied._

"_Some won't make it. But you, you can survive."_

_I was still confused. As if this stupid voice was making sense I nodded my head._

"_Just remember that you have more control than they do and you'll make it out alive."_

"_Make it out of what?"_

"_The battle," he chuckled evilly and then the voice started to fade._

"_No!" I screamed and screamed, waiting for this nightmare to be over with already. _

"_Vanessa!" someone shouted at me, but I drowned out their voice with my terrified screams. _

_Whoever it was kept shouting my name._

I finally felt myself starting to wake up.

"Vanessa! What's wrong?" someone's cold hands were on both of my sweaty shoulders.

I managed to open my eyes only to see…Jasper?

"Bad dream," I muttered, "Just a bad dream."

He sat on my bed…wait…he was here in my house?

"Why are you here, Jasper? Isn't Alice looking for you or something?" I was breathing really heavily at this point.

"Alice is concentrating on her visions at the moment and would you believe me if I said I'm visiting a friend?" he smiled an innocent smile and I laughed.

"No, sorry."

He sighed sarcastically, "I'm here checking up on you since the werewolves are discussing the latest headline."

I raised one eyebrow, "Latest headline?"

"Never mind," he got up from the bed and walked over to the window.

"So you come check up on me for two seconds and then you leave?"

He stopped opening the window and turned towards me, "Your mother is downstairs sleeping," he stated.

"And?"

"And I'm surprised that she didn't wake up from all that screaming you were doing," he closed the window the rest of the way and sat down on the bed once again, "What was your dream about?"

I shuddered for a slight second. I don't even know what it means…maybe he could decipher the code.

I shook my head, "It was only a voice, one single voice. It, well he, told me that…" I couldn't even say it, "That some wouldn't make it and he told me that I could survive. It said I have more control than they do…whoever they are. I asked him what I would survive…and he told me a…a…battle."

His eyes widened as I stuttered on the last sentence. He was as still as stone and wasn't moving. I doubt that I'll get a response out of him now.

"Jasper?" I waved my hand in front of his face a couple of times, but he still wouldn't budge, "Tell me what this means!" I shouted at him.

He blinked a couple of times and quickly got up from the bed in one swift movement, "I…have…to…go…"

And then, half a second later he was gone.

"Ugh!" I groaned and slammed my head down onto my pillow, "I feel so left out," I mumbled, "Great now I'm talking to myself."

While I deliberated this all in my head I got my iPod and listened to Situations by Escape the Fate. I went through the whole day. When I first woke up and walked to school, when Seth scared the crap out of that kid, and…when all of this secretive stuff started. Why was I left out of this? What the hell!

I took my anger out on the pillow and punched it a couple of times. Sadie jumped onto the bed and curled up next to me.

"Focus," I stared up at the ceiling and tried to calm myself down. Of course, Jasper the vampire chill pill had to leave right before I actually needed him, "Of course," I said out loud.

Sadie meowed beside me and I massaged her fur while listening to Never Too Late by Three Days Grace. I loved this song because it gave me hope…a lot of hope. I rubbed my forehead and cleared my mind, trying to think about one thing and one thing only, my dream.

"A battle," I murmured, "But who's fighting?" I asked myself. This is so confusing. I just wanted to know what was going on! And why did Jasper freak out because of this? It must be something bad since a fearless vampire like Jasper got all worked up over it. And Seth too, he was growling just from the conversation Jacob had with Renesmee. I don't understand them…I never do…

***

I woke up the next morning with the headphones still in my ears. I wondered how I ate dinner or did anything for that matter.

A big sigh came out of my mouth and I sat up only to find one single red rose on the pillow beside me and a note. I smiled and sniffed the flower, admiring each petal and making sure that I didn't touch the thorns.

Then I laid the rose back down onto the mattress and picked up the note. It was from Seth.

It said:

_Vanessa,_

_I'm so sorry that I left you so quickly yesterday. You were sleeping and I didn't want to wake you. I'm not going to school today. The pack has some…work to do. But I promise that I will be there when you get out of school. Jake might not like it, but I don't care. I'm not going to let them tell me what to do. _

_I love you and to show how much I love you I'm giving you a little taste of what's to come tonight because…I'm going to be busy with the pack for a little while. I can't explain to you what's going on right now. So please for just tonight don't ask questions. I want this to be special for you and if I told you now then it would ruin everything. Trust me Ness. _

_And you're probably wondering why Jasper was at your house last night…He was checking on you, making sure that __the Vol__...no one was there that shouldn't be there. _

_Stay out of trouble just this once, I love you always._

_Seth._

My eyes were glued to the part that he crossed out. Who the hell is the Vol?

I groaned and got out of bed, setting the note on my desk. I started changing into a green t-shirt and a faded pair of jeans when I heard thunder roaring outside.

"Great," I muttered.

Not only would it be cold, but I wouldn't have Seth there to warm me up when I started shivering. In the letter he said that he would be busy with the pack for…a while. So I wouldn't be able to see him that often? But…why?

I hurried down the stairs and put my hood on before I stepped out of the house. Slipping on my old pair of converse I prepared myself for the downpour I was about to be stuck in.

"See you later Sadie," I said as I opened the door and walked out into the rain. Of course, today when Seth wasn't here it had to rain this badly. Just my luck…

**OH THE SUSPENSE!!!! **

**If you review then you get to find out what happens next!  
**


	16. 15 Moment of Perfection

**thank you for all of the reviews! you are all amazing! **

**and i know this chapter doesn't have a lot to do with the plot but it sort of does in a way if you think about it...because things will change...and im not saying anymore lol **

Chapter 15

Moment of Perfection

My mind was wandering throughout the whole day of school. Casey was actually freaked out by the way I was acting. For instance, in my history class my teacher would say the word battle and I would flinch every time and I mean every single time. It was so noticeable too…and embarrassing. I just wanted to crawl into a hole and die.

So when last period rolled by I was trying to clear my thoughts and not jump every time someone said something that referred to yesterday. My goal was to find out who the Vol was…that probably wasn't even the name, but it was worth a shot.

As soon as I finished getting my books out of my locker I was in no rush to get out of school because of the downpour. I was still wet from the walk I had to take this morning and I wasn't ready to be soaked again. When I reached the exit of the school I slowly put my hood on and stared at the parking lot for a moment. I took one deep breath and darted down the stairs. I would've loved to be a vampire right now.

Before I could cross the street I ran into someone. I quickly looked up, knowing who it was. A huge smile appeared on my face and I jumped into his arms both because I missed him and because I needed to get warm. He kissed my hair and held me tightly against him.

"You're drenched."

I wrapped my arms around his neck so I could warm up my hands, "Of course I'm drenched it's pouring out if you haven't noticed."

He chuckled, "I missed you today."

"I did too," I rested my head in the hollow of his neck and he started walking to our house going quicker than I expected him to go. He was probably rushing to get me out of the rain, but I was fine now that he was here.

Right when I opened my mouth to ask him about what he was doing I stopped myself, remembering the letter he wrote. I couldn't ask questions today because he wanted tonight to be special. What did he have planned?

"What are we doing tonight, Seth?" I asked.

"You'll have to wait and see," he smiled.

I rolled my eyes. Typical Seth, always surprising me…

***

When we reached my house Seth finally let me walk for a change. I was comfortable, but I didn't want to be lazy and make him carry me around all the time. As he walked up the steps I listened to his heart beat with my ear up against his chest. Each beat made me feel calmer and calmer for some reason.

I didn't even notice that we were inside the house until Seth kissed my forehead. He slowly put me down and let me stand on my own two feet.

"So this was the surprise?" I half smiled.

He shook his head, "Not even close."

"What is it then?"

He held up one finger and walked into the kitchen where my mother was cooking.

"Mrs. Brooks would it be alright if Vanessa came over to my house tonight?" he asked in the sweetest voice.

My mother looked at both of us suspiciously, "Will your mother be home?"

I rolled my eyes. She really didn't trust me did she?

"My mother and my sister will be home, you won't have to worry."

She narrowed her eyes at me, "Ok, fine, but be home by 10," she told me instead of Seth.

He grinned at me. I couldn't believe that my mother was acting so weird right now. She thinks I'm going to run off and have sex with him...ugh I'm only fourteen for God's sake! I started to blush as we all stood there awkwardly for a second.

"Thank you, Mrs. Brooks," Seth and I started to walk out of the room, "I'll be sure to have her home by 10."

He smiled a charming smile and waved goodbye to her. When we finally got out of the house I started laughing.

"You sounded so cheesy, you know that?" We walked down the steps and onto the sidewalk.

He laughed along with me, "It worked didn't it?"

"Yeah it did."

When we passed the first house, Seth sighed really loudly. And as we slowly got closer to his house he went silent. This wasn't like him, he never acted so...out of it before.

"What's up, Seth?" I asked.

He quickly looked at me and shook his head, trying to put on a smile, "Nothing."

"Oh come on, I know it's nothing. Something has to be bothering you."

He didn't say a word, he kept quiet. I took one deep breath and placed myself in front of him. He stopped even though I knew he could just move me out of the way. I reached my arm up and brushed his cheek with my hand.

"I know that you don't want me to ask you questions," he sighed, "But it would make both of us feel better if we just…discussed this…whatever it is."

He shut his eyes for a quick second and wrapped his arms around my waist, causing our chests to touch.

"It's hard to explain. And I don't want to ruin this night that we have together because it might be the last that we have for a while."

I closed my eyes. This was something bad…something terrible.

"Ok," I whispered, "But answer this one question for me."

He nodded and pressed both of our foreheads together. I could tell that his eyes were glued to my face, waiting for my question.

"Is it really bad? Because…I had a dream last night and…someone told me that some of us might not make it," I felt my eyes start to get damp, "Is that true? I mean, does this really mean that one of us might…die?"

I felt his warm lips on my cheek. He kissed all of the tears that had escaped from my eyes.

"Don't even consider that, none of us will die," he reassured me, "It won't be that bad, don't worry."

I rested my head on his shoulder and he repeatedly kissed me wherever he could.

"Don't cry, baby," he cooed in my ear, "Don't cry."

The tears were overwhelming and unexpected. I didn't think I would get so emotional over this. I suddenly forced myself to stop.

"I'm done, really, I'm fine," I put on a smile.

"Let's get inside."

I chuckled, "Yeah, that's probably a good idea."

He pulled out of our embrace and took my hand. Then we walked up the steps to his house and he opened the door. The first to greet us was his mother. She had a huge smile on her face when she saw me.

"Vanessa, it's so nice to see you again," she said, warmly.

She pulled me into a quick hug and kissed my cheek. When she let go I exchanged a genuine smile with her.

"Let's go up to my room," Seth stated.

"Ok," I quietly replied.

He led me up the stairs and down the hallway. We passed Leah.

"Hey," I said.

She looked over at me, "How have you been?" she asked.

"Good, and you?"

"Wonderful…" she sarcastically smiled and walked into her room, closing the door behind her.

I turned my attention back to Seth and followed him into his small yet cozy room. I never had the chance to really see it, I was only in there when he was hurt. I shuddered from the memories of him lying on the bed with broken bones.

Seth turned on a light and sat down on his bed just carefully watching every move I made and smiling. My eyes were curiously examining his room.

"Your room is so…" I searched for the right word, "…expressive of you."

I ran my fingers over the stack of CD's he had set on the desk across from his bed. All of them labeled Seth's music. I picked up one of the CD's and popped it into the CD player sitting next to his collection. A guitar started playing, an acoustic guitar to be exact. The music filled my ears with pleasure. Every chord was hit perfectly and every note sounded better than the last.

"Wait, is this you playing?" I glanced over my shoulder only to see him nod in reply.

Leaving the song on I turned around and sat next to him on his bed letting the music linger through my ears. I rested my head on his arm and both of us were silent. Just listening to him play so perfectly made me fall even more in love with him which I didn't think was possible before because I was already immensely head over heels for him.

When the song ended, Seth got up and turned off the CD player. I just stared at him in amazement.

"Did you like it?" he asked.

"No, I loved it," I grinned, "You're really good you know."

He shook his head in disagreement, "I'm not that great. I didn't learn the proper way I just taught myself."

"So you learned you're way?"

He paused, "I guess you could say that."

"Well I like your way better."

My eyes searched for some sign of a guitar. And when I finally found it, the most perfect instrument I've ever seen, I gasped.

"You have a Jasmine ES31C Dreadnought?" I got up from the bed and admired the guitar for a moment.

"Yeah…it was my dad's," he picked up the guitar and stared at me with a confused expression, "Do you play?"

I sighed, "Well, my brother taught me, but I haven't played since I left Chicago."

He walked over to the bed and handed me the guitar, "Try," he said.

I hesitantly took the guitar and grabbed the pick out of his fingers. Then I set my fingers in place for an E major chord. I strummed it a couple of times, making sure I had the right notes and shook my head, "I really don't remember. I used to be able to play this song my brother taught me, but…I can't think of the notes."

He moved closer to me and set his warm hands on top of mine, helping me out with my fingers, "You need to move your fourth finger a little bit."

I smiled and strummed it again, hitting it perfectly now.

"See," he kissed my cheek.

I took out my old necklace out and tried to remember the song, humming some notes and thinking about it for a moment. When some of the song finally came to me I set my fingers back onto the guitar, "I think I remember some." I set my fingers in place for the E major chord again, "E major," I said as I strummed, "B major," I strummed again, "and A major. That's all I remember though."

He held me closer to him, "You are the most amazing girl I have ever known."

I grinned as he kissed my neck, "I don't think I'm really that amazing," I muttered.

He shook his head, "I beg to differ."

I didn't argue my side anymore. I really didn't think I was that special…not as special as Seth was at least. I grabbed the guitar and turned my body more towards him.

"Ok, mister I can play the guitar," I put it in his hands, "Play something."

He didn't hesitate to take it from me. I turned myself around and waited patiently for him to start playing. His breathtaking smile made my heart skip a beat. And at that moment I felt so lucky to have a great guy like him. I didn't deserve him…

He looked into my eyes, "This is something I wrote not too long ago. It's for you…" he said, "There's no lyrics or anything…I'm not much of a singer."

And then in that instant when he said that to me, I melted, feeling totally unworthy of this song he written. I nodded my head and my cheeks started to hurt from the huge smiled that was plastered on my face.

He started to strum the first chord of the song and then he took off playing with so much passion and meaning. I fell into a trance and just gazed at him and admired his perfection. The song was better than anything I've ever heard before. It wasn't like a cheesy love song or anything, it was deep…really deep. My mind was racing, thinking about him and only him. To think that he wrote something this unbelievably great for me was…shocking. As if I couldn't feel any more amazed he looked at me again and smiled.

When his song came to an end I just sat there, not reacting to this at all. I didn't know what to say.

"So?" he stared at me and waited for some response.

"You…wrote that…for…me?" my words came out so slowly that I'm not even sure if he understood what I said.

He nodded, "For you and only you."

I shook my head in disbelief and bit my lip so I wouldn't say something stupid.

"Was it that bad?" he asked, trying to read my blank expression.

"Bad? Seth, bad never even crossed my mind," I wrapped my arms around his neck and he moved his guitar out of the way, "It was completely perfect."

I pressed our lips together and weaved my fingers through his dark hair so that he wouldn't pull away. I could tell that he didn't want to stop because he laid himself down onto the bed and I ended up on top of him. My tongue outlined his soft lips and my head was spinning at this point. I felt him place his hand on the back of my neck and he started to outline my jaw with kisses while I took a breather. When our lips met again I kissed him as fiercely as I could, but not nearly as good as he did. He grabbed my thigh and I felt my leg start to burn. I didn't want to stop, but I couldn't take the heat anymore so I gasped. I could feel the sweat dripping down my face as he let go of me. I was still on top of him and when he started to pull me off of him I grabbed his arm.

"You said this would be the last night we had together for a while," I put my hand on his cheek, "So please, just...stay at my house or something…don't leave me alone, not tonight," I rested my head on his chest and listened to his heart beat while waiting for his response.

He kissed the top of my head a couple of times before answering me, "Ok, I'll stay with you. And if the pack has a problem with it then they can beat me up tomorrow. I'll do anything to prevent this moment from ending."

"Thank you," I whispered.

"I love you," he replied.

"I love you too."

And as we continued our perfect night together I no longer worried or cared about anything else. He was the only thing on my mind for the rest of the night. But little did I know there was something so much worse that would be coming soon…something I never in a million years would've wanted to happen…


	17. 16 A Different Story

**i like this chapter, especially Jasper's part because it shows you what he's thinking for once... *gets all emotional***

Chapter 16

A Different Story

**Vanessa's POV**

In the morning Seth got one very vicious phone call from Jake. I could basically hear every word he was saying because he was screaming so loud. Supposedly there was a pack meeting last night…an important pack meeting and he missed it to stay with me. I felt terrible about it, but he said not to worry and right before he left he gave me the most meaningful kiss he's ever given me. After he fled out my window, since my mom would kill me if she found out he stayed the night, I didn't know when he would be back and that fact scared me a little, no scratch that, that fact scared me a lot. But I went to school and acted as normal as ever, getting questioned by Amy and Casey about Seth and the rest of the Quileute's absence. I basically froze and just said the first thing that came to mind…which was mono and it was a bad excuse, a really bad excuse. They just gave me disgusted looks and didn't ask me about it anymore. Ugh.

That day I didn't see Seth at all. I tried and tried to call him, but he didn't answer. It was driving me crazy that he was out with the pack all day and I didn't even know why. I was completely oblivious as to what was going on right now. The rest of the week was pretty much the same way, but I think one night I saw him outside, watching me in his wolf form. I missed him though. I needed to talk to someone…someone who actually knew what was happening and someone who would tell me what I wanted to know…

__

It was just like any other day me hopelessly waiting for him to come to my window. I just watched as the rain hit the glass, bored out of my mind and wondering about what he was doing.

"Bye Vanessa!" my mom shouted from downstairs.

"Bye," I muttered, not loud enough for her to hear me.

Another day home alone because my mom's job was more demanding than ever now. Sadie jumped onto my lap and I immediately started petting her. At least she was here. I just wanted someone to explain this once and for all. I deserved to know…well I think I deserved to know at least.

"What do you think girl?" I looked down and waited for a meow, but she didn't make a sound. She just looked at me blankly. I sighed and stared out the window again.

I could ask Jasper about it, but who knows what he would say. I needed to ask someone who knew everything about this situation. Someone like…Alice Cullen. My heart was telling me to go and find out some information, but my head was telling me that I shouldn't get involved.

"Shut up," I told my head as if it could hear me or something.

I needed to do this. I couldn't just sit here and wait when I've been having these dreams. And about the dreams…they were all the same. With the same creepy voice that told me the same thing as always. It wasn't scary anymore it was just annoying now. But maybe these dreams were trying to tell me something. So I couldn't just not listen to them, I had to.

Sadie meowed and licked my cheek, trying to get me out of the trance I was stuck in. I smiled and hugged her for a quick second.

"I gotta go talk to the Cullens," I whispered to her and set her down onto the ground.

I quickly got my sweater and ran down the stairs. When I got to the door I stopped for a second. How the hell was I supposed to get there? I didn't know how to drive and their house wasn't just around the corner either so I couldn't walk.

I sighed and slapped my palm onto my forehead, trying to think of an idea. Suddenly a doorbell interrupted my brainstorming. I immediately opened it, desperate at this point. My eyes widened in delight.

"Here to check up on the human," Jasper said.

I put my index finger in his lips so that he wouldn't say another word, "Take me to your house…please?"

Playing the innocence card probably wouldn't work on him like it does on Seth, but it was worth a shot. He moved my finger with his cold hand and placed it at my side again, raising one eyebrow in suspicion.

"Why?" he asked.

I groaned, "I need to ask Alice what's going on. And I need a reliable source."

"So, I'm not a reliable source?" he asked, starting to frown.

I rolled my eyes, "Why, are you saying that you would tell me what I need to know?"

"Possibly," he stepped inside of the house and looked around the room for a moment before he looked back at me.

I heard Sadie hissing from the steps, "Not now!" I shouted.

Jasper sent calm waves of emotion to her and she immediately stopped. I closed the door and walked into the living room, planting myself onto the couch and directing Jasper to sit down too. He gracefully sat down and stared at me while I thought for a quick second.

I looked over at him, "We're friends, correct?"

He nodded and smiled.

"So, if I ask you questions about this then you'll answer me honestly, right?"

He inhaled an unnecessary breath and then slowly let go of it, "Yes," he answered, "You should know since you are some of the reason why we are preparing for this."

"Why am I the reason?" my first question was short and simple. But there were a lot more I needed to ask. This could take a while.

I sat back and got comfortable while I waited for his response.

"Your dreams, they seem to be telling us something that is to come in the future. And it's only a voice, right?"

I nodded.

"So this voice may be something bigger than we think…it could be a vampire trying to warn us."

"But why would the vampire try to tell me," I emphasized, "This information. Why didn't he tell someone else?"

He shook his head from side to side, "That's what I don't understand. It could be something that Alice isn't catching…something that will be unexpected. But why they're telling you I don't get."

"Was the battle part unexpected?" I kept my eyes on his face for any changes in his expression, but there was none.

"No, we've been expecting this. The Volturi hasn't been too pleased with us for a while now."

So it wasn't the Vol. They actually had a name.

"Who's the Volturi?"

He took another unnecessary deep breath before he started speaking again, "They're a very powerful coven of vampires. They enforce the laws of our world, of the vampire world. And they 'invite' other vampires with powerful gifts to join their coven. The thing about the Volturi is that when you join the coven…you're giving up everything. Aro, the leader, has tried to convince Edward, Alice, and even Bella to join. They pose a huge threat to us because a lot of them have the most powerful gifts you could ever think of."

"Which one's have gifts?" the information he was informing me with was a lot to handle.

"Aro can read people's minds, but the thing that's different about his power is that he can see every thought you've ever had."

I gulped and started to get nervous.

"Jane, she can make people feel like they're in pain. It's a very strong gift. And Alec can desensitize people, meaning he can take away their senses. Demetri is a tracker, he can find someone by following their scent. And Alice told me that there is a new member of the Guard and he's very powerful, but I'm not sure of his name."

My lips started quivering from all of this, especially the last part, "What's his gift?" I asked.

"He can control people's minds and make them do whatever he wants. Which is a huge disadvantage for us…"

I shook my head in disbelief, "So, you're all preparing for a fight?"

"Yes, that's why the pack has been meeting so much this week."

"When?"

"We're not sure, but Alice has been trying to figure it out."

I ran my fingers through my hair and shut my eyes. How could this be happening? My whole life I've been searching for some sort of break from this hell I was living in. And when I came here I thought everything was finally good for once and then this pops up out of nowhere and I suddenly find myself back in hell…

"Are you completely positive that they're coming for a fight?"

He hesitated, "Not completely, the only reason why we are preparing is because of your dream and this new threat or threats. Alice had two visions, one where she saw Aro, Jane, Demetri, and this new vampire coming here to check up on Renesmee and the other one was where she found out about the 'threat's' ability."

"So, it might not happen?" if he said yes, then I wouldn't worry as much as before, but if he said no then I would have to scream.

"It's fifty fifty at this point."

So what did this mean? Was I supposed to scream or stop worrying?

I decided to do both. So I screamed out loud for one whole minute and tried not to worry afterwards. Both seemed pointless, but who cares at this point.

"You ok?" he asked with a crazy look in his golden eyes.

"No," I mumbled, "Can I see Seth?"

He sighed, "I'm not sure, werewolves are not really my area of expertise."

"Right," I replied.

I laid my head down onto the pillow that was sitting there. I felt confused at the moment. While I sat there groaning, Jasper just stared at me. There was a long moment of awkward silence going on right now and I didn't know what to do to make it stop. I was just thinking about all of the possible outcomes of this. How one-or more than one- of us might not see the sunrise again. It would just be the sunset of our life…and that's it…

I shut my eyes so the salt water wouldn't start to pour out, but I was too late. Jasper touched my cheek with one single finger and wiped away the tears that were coming out. He still didn't say anything; he just kept wiping my cheeks dry. My teeth started chattering from his ice cold skin, but I tried to hide it by biting my lip.

"Jasper," I whispered through the sobs, "Promise me you'll stay safe. Please, don't let these Volturi people hurt you…any of you," he pulled me into a tight embrace, but only for a slight second because he realized that he was crushing me beneath him. I didn't really notice or care.

**Jasper's POV**

Holding this delicate human in my arms, trying to comfort her, made me feel even more worried about what was to come. I knew some of us weren't going to make it, I could sense it, feel it. Which made me worry about Alice and what would happen to her if I were to…die. My everything would feel like nothing because I was no longer there. Which was all the more reason why I needed to fight with as much strength as I could possibly fight with.

"Jazz?" It was the first time I ever heard Vanessa say that to me, "Hello?" she waved a hand in front of my face. The blood was rushing to her fingertips. It looked so…

No, don't, you can't. You can't hurt her. I blinked a couple of times and turned my head towards the TV so I wouldn't be as tempted. The werewolf scent still lingered on her clothing, but it wasn't nearly as strong as it was a couple of days ago since he wasn't here. Which made her smell so much more delicious to me.

"Vanessa, I need to go," I got up and quickly ran my fingers through my hair once, heading for the door.

"What? Now?" she stood up and grabbed my arm, trying to stop me.

Even though I was so much stronger than her I stopped. Her warm hands, her pulse…everything about her made me crave her. I stared at the wall and tried to distract myself. My eyes were probably black by now.

"Stay inside, I can't risk anything," I grabbed the door knob.

"Wait, one more question."

One more question? Did she really want to die right here and now? Really?

"What," I spat at her. I really didn't mean to be harsh with her, but that's the way it came out.

"Can I come over…tomorrow or something? I just don't want to be alone," she said in a calm tone.

She sounded so sweet and innocent. How could I say no now?

"Yes," I sighed, "I'll pick you up."

"Thank you," she squeezed my hand and then finally let go of it. I was out of the door in one swift movement and running into the forest half a second later. I needed to hunt, really hunt. I don't know why I was putting it off, but I guess all of this worry and fear could be the reason. Who would've guessed that Jasper Hale the fearless vampire who fought off millions of newborns would be worrying about the Volturi.

I guess you could say that I was scared of the outcome, scared of who I would lose. Alice? I couldn't even imagine what I would do if I lost her. I knew I wouldn't be able to live anymore. Edward or Emmett? My brothers, the one's I can always rely on? What would this life be like without them…any of them? So many of these questions had been on my mind for the last few days. I don't know what to expect when the Volturi comes. Alice only saw the four of them coming, but Vanessa had a dream about a battle. I didn't inform her about the Guardians, she was already taking in all of the other things I was telling her she didn't need to worry about this either. Well the Guardians weren't really bad, just confusing.

It didn't take me long to find a meal. After I was finished I decided to walk home instead of run. I needed to think.

The Guardians were the ones who were sending her this message. They weren't wrong, ever. This coven wasn't known for being wrong. But how could I believe this? It was just a story I was told by Carlisle, I've never actually seen any of them. Not too many people have. They're basically just a group of harmless vampires that try to help certain people when they need it, special people. Why was Vanessa special though? I mean she would have to have some sort of connection with them in order to be receiving these 'dreams' from them.

Hope was all we needed, it might not be much, but it was enough. I needed to stay strong though, for my family's sake because if I were the one to break down, what would they think of me? Would they think I'm a coward?

One thing I know for sure is that I'm not a coward…not even close. If you've seen the type of things I've been through then you would understand why coward is an understatement. I'm a soldier, a fighter, but right now I was acting…scared. Scared for both my life and the lives of others.

**soo...the Guardians...yeah they will make more sense near the end of the story...it was kind of a think as you write sort of thing, that's my style i just type what comes to mind...and that's what came to mind...**

**goodbye all you lovely people who have read this far =]  
**


	18. 17 Guardian Angel

**ok, soo i hope you all start to understand the point of the Guardians by the end of this chapter. If not just PM me or something or write a question in your review and i promise to get back to you ASAP.**

**Thank you all for your wonderful reviews. You guys are all great and all of you have helped me through the process of writing this story. Your reviews inspire me ;]**

**ok i'll shut up now  
**

Chapter 17

Guardian Angel

While I waited for Jasper to pick me up I stayed up in my room and listened to music. I put my iPod on shuffle and laid down on my bed, closing my eyes and trying to relax. As soon as the first song came on I knew this day wouldn't be good. But being the lazy ass I am I didn't get up to turn it off I just covered my ears thinking it would help. When the chorus came on I started to scream.

_Fathers be good to your daughters_

_And daughters will love like you do._

"Not true!" I shouted and finally got up to turn it off.

I groaned as I held down the play button and threw the thing onto the floor when I was finished.

"Stupid song," I muttered.

I slumped down onto the floor and crossed my arms over my chest. This house sucks right now. I'm so sick of it…

_DING DONG_

The door bell rang and I ran out of my room and down the stairs to answer it. A smile appeared on my face when I reached for the door and quickly opened it.

"Hel-,"

I hugged Jasper and grabbed my sweater off of the coat rack next to the door, putting it on and closing the door behind me.

"You saved me," I took in the familiar smell of moss and grass when I stepped onto the sidewalk.

Jasper chuckled and shook his head.

I looked to the left and to the right, but didn't see any car.

"How are we getting there?"

He grinned and grabbed my wrist, slinging me onto his back. I rolled my eyes and rested my chin on his shoulder. Stupid question…

"Warn me before y-,"

He started to run before I could even finish my sentence. It was weird how I never took a car anywhere, ever. I really don't think I've actually been in a car since I first moved here…

***

We were at the Cullen house in a matter of minutes. I was practically shivering from the ride that I had. It was cold, really cold. I guess it kind of makes sense…since it is cold outside and he's ice cold. What's up with me today?

I didn't even realize that Jasper had carried me all the way into his house until I saw the big one, Emmett walk into the room that I was standing in. I noticed it was the living room after I finally took the chance to look around seeing the couch and the huge plasma screen TV. There was some sort of football game on.

I slowly walked over to where Emmett was sitting and took a closer look to see who was playing. The Dallas Cowboys were playing against the New York Jets. I prefer the Cowboys…

I sat next to him and saw that it was already the third quarter and the Jets were winning.

"Who do you want to win?" I asked him.

He looked over at me with one eyebrow raised and the hugest grin on his face, "Jets, you like football?"

I shrugged, "It's alright."

He chuckled and turned his attention back to the screen. The Jets had the ball, but…wait…

"Fumble," I muttered. The Cowboys stole the ball and I jumped up while Emmett sighed in disappointed, "Ha," I smiled and sat back down.

While the boring commercials turned on I got more comfortable on the big couch.

"How about we make a bet," Emmett looked over at me.

I thought about it for a moment, really I didn't have money, but it would be kind of funny if I lost and he realized that I didn't have anything to reward him with. Plus, if I win then I get his money, "Ok, what's the bet?"

"Twenty bucks the Jets win," he held out his hand so I could shake it.

I narrowed my eyes, "Fine, twenty bucks the Cowboys win," I shook his hand and turned my attention back to the TV.

He laughed, "You are so going down."

I rolled my eyes, _you'll lose either way, _I thought.

The game came back on and now it was the Cowboys turn. It was all going good so far and the Cowboys were just about to get a touchdown when Alice stood right in front of the TV. Emmett and I both sighed.

"Move!" Emmett yelled.

I looked up at her and she was staring down at me with a worried expression on her pale face.

"Alice? What's wrong?" I said.

"Come with me," she grabbed my arm and forced me to get up, leading me up the stairs and into her room. She closed the door behind us and we both sat down on the couch there since there was no bed.

"Ok, start talking," I stared at her blank face and waited for some sort of response. She wasn't even paying attention to me anymore. She kind of zoned out on me.

We sat there in silence for a couple of minutes and then she finally gasped.

"What?" I said.

"Another psychic…" her mouth fell open and her whole body froze up.

"You had a vision?"

She nodded.

"And you saw a vampire who's a psychic like you?" I don't know how this whole thing led to twenty questions. If she wasn't going to talk then why did she want to talk to me.

I could hear Emmett yell from downstairs, "Touchdown!" he screamed.

I rolled my eyes and cursed inside my head. I wonder what Emmett will do once he finds out I don't have twenty dollars on me.

"Cowboys win, don't worry," she barely whispered to me. It didn't look like she was paying attention to me, but I guess she just saw it.

I half smiled at the fact that I would be earning twenty dollars pretty soon. But I had to focus and figure out why Alice brought me up here.

"Alice, what did you see?" I asked, putting my hand on her cold arm.

She turned towards me actually looking like she would say something this time instead of just nodding her head.

"Another addition to the Guard. Like the other one who can control people's minds. He can see the future and he saw…you."

My eyes went wide.

"He saw me?" I felt myself starting to freak out on the inside, but I kept a straight face on the outside, "Do you know what he saw?"

She nodded, "He told Aro about you, about the dreams you've been having."

The dreams? Why were those so important?

"What do my dreams have to do with this?"

She took one deep breath and turned her whole body towards me now, putting both of her icy hands on top of mine, "Vanessa, those aren't dreams, they're messages…from the Guardians."

I furrowed my eyebrows and bit my lip, "The what?" I knew what she said, I just didn't want to believe it was true.

"The Guardians. They're a coven of vampires, a very unique group of vampires. And the only reason why they ever communicate with humans is because… it's supposedly your destiny to become one of them and protect others like you."

This couldn't be happening. Not to me, anyone but me. I didn't want to be a vampire I liked being human, "Why do they think it's my destiny to become one?"

She shrugged and looked around the room as if it would give her some answers, "It's just something you're supposedly born with. Of course they're not bad, but they're just…mysterious. I've never even seen any of them. But I've heard that they all have very unique gifts. And there are certain humans each one sticks around with. A guardian angel, Carlisle told me. This vampire sending you these messages must be yours. Only a few people have ever experienced this. But I've never met anyone like this before."

"So, this other addition to the Guard saw me. Why does this matter?"

"Because, don't you see! The Volturi will want you! They'll try and find a way to take you and change you because they know that if you ever became a vampire then you will have an extraordinary gift!" She shouted at me and then buried her face into her hands, shaking her head from side to side, "The Volturi's coming next week. You need to stay away from here. If they ever found out about you then…I don't even want to know what would happen," she started sobbing. Vampires couldn't produce tears, Jasper told me once, but they could still cry.

"Alice-,"

"I don't know what to do anymore. Everyone is relying on me and if I let them down then who knows what will happen," she said between sobs.

"Alice, don't ever think you're responsible for whatever happens to us," I was trying to comfort her, help her in any way I could.

"I can't help, but feel like if something bad happens then it's my fault because I didn't see it coming," she stopped sobbing and wiped her eyes as if tears had come out.

"Your visions are helping us. They're the reason why we are prepared for this, whatever it is."

Just then Jasper came into the room, calming both of us down. His golden eyes looked hurt. It was like he just saw something he's never seen before.

He walked over to where both of us were sitting and immediately took Alice into his arms. I smiled warmly and decided to leave to room so they could have their little moment together. As I walked towards the door I thought about Seth and how much I would give to be in his arms right now. I wanted him with me.

"Vanessa," Alice said as I started to close the door. I glanced back at the two of them, "Don't be alarmed, they won't hurt you," she grinned and I nodded my head as if I understood what she meant.

I closed the door and started to walk down the stairs, confused by what she just told me. But then, when I reached the bottom of the staircase and saw a huge group of pale and beautiful vampires I understood. I didn't let this effect me I just stopped walking and stared.

They were all examining me, with genuine smiles on their faces and curious eyes as they took in the human standing in front of them. They all looked great, while I looked like crap. I was wearing probably one of my worst outfits that I had today. A sigh came out of my mouth and each vampire froze up.

A couple footsteps soon walked into the room.

"Everyone, this is Vanessa Brooks. The girl who the Guardians have communicated with," I heard Edward's velvet voice announce.

A couple gasps filled the now silent air. I didn't react to any of this, I just stood there with my head down and my hair in front of my face. I really didn't think it was that great of an honor…

Before I could even take another breath someone was in front of me. I slowly picked my head up. She was smiling at me and she had curly, strawberry blonde hair and golden eyes like the Cullens had.

"Vanessa, this is Tanya. Tanya, Vanessa," Edward introduced us.

She held out her hand so I could shake it and I bravely, but weakly grabbed it.

"It's very nice to meet you," she said.

I tried to speak, but there were no words coming out of my mouth. So instead of letting the flies in I bit my lip to keep my mouth shut for the time being. Soon enough another vampire was next to me. She had black colored hair and olive colored skin. Her skin was different from the rest of the vampires in the room.

"Carmen," she pronounced in the most beautiful Spanish accent.

I just smiled back at her in response, waiting for someone to save me from these two.

I heard a chuckle come from the right and a second later someone's hands were on their shoulders, "Let's give her some space," Edward said, quietly and calmly.

_Thanks, _I thought.

He winked at me and directed them farther away from me.

I heard Emmett curse from the other room and I started to laugh. I knew what he was mad about.

"Excuse me," I politely walked into the other room and when I saw Emmett I held out my hand so I could receive my award, "Twenty dollars, please," I teased.

He rolled his eyes and took out the wallet that was in his back pocket. Handing me exactly the right amount of money I started laughing and I heard more laughter come from the other room.

Maybe I wasn't on Emmett's good side right now, but at least I was getting on the other vampires good sides…

***

When Jasper took me home I didn't say a word. I got in late because I was meeting all of the Cullens' friends. For the most part they were very nice except for the curious wide eyed stare I'd get from some of them once and a while.

I slowly snuck up the stairs and tip toed into my room, trying not to wake my mother who was already sleeping in the room across the hall. Closing the door behind me and letting Sadie follow me into my room I decided to sit out on the roof for a while so I could clear my head.

I kept my sweater on and slowly opened up the window. The wind hit my face and it felt nice against my cheeks. I carefully stepped out onto the roof panels and sat down. I glanced back once so make sure my mother didn't catch me and when I knew she was still asleep I turned my attention back to the full moon that hung in the dark sky. Another gust of wind hit me, making me shake a little, but it still felt good. The crickets chirped from the bushes and the trees around me and it sounded so peaceful.

So, I thought about what was going to happen next week. Would the Volturi find me? No, they couldn't because I would stay out of their sight…right? Or would they come looking for me. I shuddered at the thought of that ever happening. I closed my eyes and took a couple deep breaths.

Right now all I wanted was Seth. I wanted to feel his warm lips against mine and I wanted to look into his dark eyes and get lost like I always did and I wanted my heart to skip a beat when I first saw him. But I didn't just want him, I needed him more than anything.

"Ness," I heard someone faintly whisper from down below.

I didn't listen to it, thinking that it was only my imagination playing tricks on me.

"Vanessa," the voice said louder.

"What?!" I yelled back at it and opened my eyes.

My eyes searched for the source of that voice. It sounded like, "Seth?" I leaned over to check if he was really there and he moved closer to the house, revealing himself. He hadn't changed much, he only looked a little bit more muscular than before. But he was still my Seth.

"Don't move, you'll fall," he smiled, "I'm coming up."

"You don't have t-,"

He cut me off, "I want to, you don't understand how much it pained me to be away from you this week."

I grinned as he started to scale the huge tree that was right next to my house. With no problem at all he reached the top of the tree and stepped onto my rooftop. I sat up and made sure that he wouldn't fall even though I knew he wouldn't get hurt. He pecked my lips and sat down, taking me into his arms as soon as he did.

"I missed you," I said, lying my head down on his warm shoulder.

He started kissing me wherever he could and stopped right at the start of my jaw line, "Me too," he breathed.

"So, what have you been up too lately?" I asked.

"Worrying about you and preparing for next week," he answered, still kissing me everywhere.

"I'm guessing you heard about the Guardians?"

He stopped for a moment and sighed, "Yes," he gently slipped his fingers through mine.

I stared up at the sky, "I'm scared," I whispered.

"Why?" he simply replied.

"Because what if you get hurt, Seth? Remember the last time you got hurt? I could barely even live with myself then," I flinched, "Who says I'll be able to live with myself now, knowing it's my fault."

He kissed my left temple, "Why would it ever be your fault, Ness?"

"I know it would be my fault because of the Guardian crap that I'm supposedly destined to become a part of. If the Volturi found me then I know you would try to protect me and you'll get hurt," I could tell he was shaking his head, "So, please, don't try to protect me."

He held me closer to him, "No," he said, "I won't let them do anything to you, ever. And if we were to get into that sort of situation then I would protect you as much as I could."

"Don't," I demanded.

"I won't listen to you."

"Why not?!" I shouted.

He shushed me and started rocking me from side to side, "We can talk about this later," he cooed in my ear and all the stress I was feeling before suddenly washed away.

It was as if he knew that I needed him right now. Maybe he needed me as much as I did him. But I have to say that this week was one of the longest and loneliest weeks of my entire existence. He opened up his hand and I traced patterns on his palms. This night was one of the last nights of peace that we would have for a while. Maybe we would be lucky and the Volturi would just do a quick check up on the Cullens. Or maybe things would get out of hand. Either way, I wasn't going to let Seth get hurt because of me. I was going to stay away from the Cullens for now. As much as I didn't want to I had to…

**Well there it is. I seriously spent my whole study period writing this lol **

**and i would've updated sooner, but my sister has been using my laptop lately because of some internet problem. **

**oh well bye until the next chapter ;]  
**


	19. 18 The End

**I know this chapter is a little short but i had to...**

**i hope to see lots of reviews for this chapter.**

**Me: I DO OWN TWILIGHT AND ALL OF ITS CHARACTERS EVERYONE!! **

**Jasper: You don't own me...Alice Cullen owns me *snaps in z formation***

**Me; .....did you just snap in a z formation? **

**Jasper: it would seem that way wouldn't it?**

**Me: ok well i don't own twilight because right now Jasper just did something i would never make him do which shows you i do not own him**

**Jasper: HAHA!!!**

**Me: But i do control you in this story =P**

**Jasper: Touche....**

**Me: Mwuahahaha  
**

Chapter 18

The End

**Vanessa's POV**

_Another dream, I mean message, whatever. It was the male voice again in my head for the fifth time. It was harder to hear him because someone was mumbling in the background, but I didn't know who. I tried to listen closely to the voice and shut out the mumbles. _

"_It's your decision," he said to me._

_I concentrated harder, "What's my decision?" I asked._

"_Immortality," he replied._

_The darkness engulfed me, only making it harder to hear him. I felt uncomfortable for some reason. _

"_You already have a gift," he stated, "Use it wisely," and then his voice started to fade._

"_Wait!" I screamed as loudly as I possibly could. The mumbles got louder and louder and then a light started to invade the darkness. _

"_Ms. Brooks," someone else shouted at me._

_I started shaking, "Wait!" I shouted once again, "What's your name?" I added._

_A faint whisper came from the little piece of darkness left. I couldn't understand what he was saying. _

"Ms. Brooks! Wake up this instant!"

I realized that I was still in class, with my head down, screaming in front of everyone. I didn't pick my head up because I heard everyone giggling around me. My cheeks started to turn red.

"My name is Francis Wesley, what's your name?" my teacher, sounded like he was angry, really angry. I slowly started to pick up my head and he had an evil grin on his face, "I'm sorry to disturb you, but we have class," he handed me a slip and pointed to the door, "Office, now."

I sighed and picked up my bag along with the rest of my books. As I walked out the door I looked up at the clock, it was already last period. I don't even remember how I got to school this morning. The last thing I do remember is when Seth said he would stay with me for the night, but he said he had to leave early in the morning. I remember having the same exact 'dream' last night, except I didn't have the chance to ask him his name last time.

"Strange," I mumbled to myself as I got my books out of my locker. I had a freaking detention because I accidentally fell asleep in class! Ugh. I walked down the hall way, heading for the office. As I reached the end of the hall I saw someone standing outside, someone I didn't know. I looked to my right into the gross office and then I tip toed my way across the doorway, I figured that I could skip detention this once and make it up another day. I glanced back a couple of times and when I turned my head around I still saw him. He was standing casually in the parking lot, leaning against one of the cars which I presumed was his.

As I got closer to the exit I could make out his features. He had auburn colored hair and…pale skin. And he looked like he was about eighteen years old. I quickly opened the door and ran down the steps. Was this one of the Guardians? The one I was communicating with?

His car was in the farther part of the parking lot and his bright teal colored eyes stood out. This had to be him. I started to quicken my pace and noticed that he was still standing there with a grin on his face, staring back at me as I inched towards him.

I heard the bell ring from behind me, but I didn't listen to it I just kept walking in his direction.

"Chase," he spoke for the first time. His voice was soft, but loud enough so that I could hear it. A honking noise came from behind me and I hesitantly turned my head to see who it was. Before I could even process the information he had just given me I stopped walking and turned my head around again. And just like that he was gone. I kept my eyes open for any sign of him, but there was none.

"Chase," I muttered.

Whoever was behind me started honking again, "Vanessa!" the familiar voice called.

I turned around again and furrowed my eyebrows, "Mom?"

She was in her small silver car and had the hugest smile on her face. I slowly walked over to the car, glancing back a couple of times in case I saw him, well Chase again.

"What are you doing here mom?"

"Picking you up from school," she exclaimed.

I slowly opened up the car door a little dazed and confused at this point. Really, this was a first, I was actually in a car. I wonder if I remember how to use the seatbelt…

I sat down in the passenger's seat and put my seatbelt in place, correctly. A low chuckle came out of my mouth.

My mother started to drive out of the parking lot and I swear that I saw him again. His auburn hair and his bright teal eyes. I blinked a couple of times to make sure that I wasn't being delusional and sighed when I realized that I was.

"So, how was school?" she asked, breaking the silence.

"Tiring," I admitted, "Why are you here and not at work?" I looked at her and crossed my arms over my chest.

"I figured I'd spend some time with you today since we haven't really been able to talk too much lately."

I raised one eyebrow, "So you want to talk?"

She hesitated to answer and pretended to concentrate on the road in front of her when I knew she was just trying to ignore the question. She sighed, "Ness, we have to discuss something, but this isn't the time or place for it," her lips turned up into a huge smile, "How about we go get some smoothies first?"

I shook my head, "Why don't you just tell me instead of buttering me up first?"

"Because this isn't something that can be handled lightly!" she shouted at me, almost swerving into the next lane.

I turned more towards the car door and stared out the window, "So the only reason why you left work early and came to pick me up is because you want to discuss something that you won't even tell me about now huh?"

As if I needed this right now. It was like someone out there didn't ever want me to be happy, like they wanted me to suffer. And I was suffering, more than ever. She stopped the car in front of the house and took the key out of the ignition, just sitting there with her hands on the wheel and her eyes closed.

"Vanessa, I love you, more than anything in this world. And…you're the only thing I have left," and then she started to break down and cry. I really don't think I've ever seen her cry, at least not like this before.

I undid my seatbelt and wrapped my arms around her shoulders, "I'm sorry I yelled at you," I whispered.

She sobbed on my shoulder now. I never imagined that I would be the strong one out of the two of us. She was always the one comforting me when I cried about Zach and everything else.

"I think we should go buy those smoothies," I tried to cheer her up a little bit.

She chuckled and sat up, wiping the tears off of her face, "Sounds good to me," then she put the keys into the ignition and started up the car again.

The whole ride there I wondered about what she wanted to discuss with me, but I didn't want to ruin our fun by asking so I just let it be…

***

Once we finished our smoothies and headed home I got anxious to find out what she wanted to tell me. I was prepared for whatever it was though. At this point I was ready for anything.

After both of us took off our shoes and our jackets we headed into the kitchen. She sat in one of the chairs and I sat into the one across from her.

She took one deep breath and I kept my eyes on her, waiting for her to explain.

"You ok?" she looked like she was about to puke or something.

She shook her head, "Vanessa," oh crap…that's her I'm concerned tone…which means something's not right. Did she find out that I skipped detention?

"Yes," I smiled, trying to look innocent in case she did figure it out.

She took both of my hands in hers and looked me straight in the eye, "Your father called."

I gulped, "W-why?" as if my throat suddenly dried up I stuttered on my question.

"He wants to see us…"

I narrowed my eyes, "But you told him no, right?"

She hesitated to answer me and I immediately let go of her hands and stood up, "Please tell me you're not actually considering letting him come h-here."

"He says that he's gotten help, a lot of help. And when I talked to him he sounded like the old Roger I used to know."

I ran my fingers through my hair, furiously, "Are you seriously thinking about taking _him _back mom!" I raised my voice at her. She was crazy if she said yes.

She slammed her fist on the table, "Vanessa, he is your father!"

"He's also the one responsible for this!" I rolled up my jeans and showed her the biggest scar I had on my knee, "And this!" I picked up the sleeve of my t-shirt and showed her another huge scar, "You can't seriously be forgiving him for what he did!"

She shook her head and looked down at the table, "Maybe we should just forgive and forget at this point Ness…we haven't seen him in what? Five years?"

"And I think it should stay that way mom, you divorced him."

"But that doesn't mean that I don't care about him," she got up from her chair and put both of her hands on each of my shoulders, "I care about him just as much as I care about you and…and Z-Zach," a single tear came out of the corner of her eye.

I sighed, knowing that I shouldn't be as harsh to her now as I was before, "Please mom, don't let him come here," I said softly.

"We'll see about that Vanessa," she wiped her cheeks and put on a weak smile.

I shut my eyes, "Fine, do what you want, but I'm not going to stick around to see him. I couldn't care less about him," I started to walk out of the room, but my mother suddenly grabbed my wrist and forced me to turn towards her.

"How could you say that?!"

I chuckled sarcastically, "You don't get it do you? News flash, he abused me mom. Yes, I said it _abused _me! I can say it because it's true and it's true because…he doesn't care about me."

"I know for a fact that he loves you."

I shook my head, "Then you obviously have you're facts wrong because he doesn't. If he loved me do you really think he would hit me so hard that I end up with bruises all over me? Or get so drunk that he 'accidentally' pushes me down the stairs?"

She looked away from me for a moment and kept her mouth shut. She out of all people should be on my side right now. She was the one who reported him to the police and she's the one who saw the judge give her full custody over me because my dad was too much out of control. And now because my dad has supposedly gone to rehab or something she's going to forgive him for all the years of pain both of us have been through? It just doesn't seem right to me.

"That's not fair, you aren't giving your father a chance," she finally let go of my arm.

"I'm not giving _him _a chance? Really mom?" I stormed out of the room and grabbed my coat and put my shoes on once again, "He's had his chance," I mumbled.

"Where are you going?!" she screamed from the kitchen.

"I don't know I just need to get out of here," I opened the door and slammed it behind me furiously.

I needed to get out of this hell hole. This stupid place full of liars!

I heard thunder roaring from above me. Good. Maybe I'll get pneumonia or something. Wouldn't she love it if I ended up in the hospital? As the first rain drops started to fall I lifted my chin up and let the water hit my face. It was cold, but I loved it. I walked towards the forest and didn't look back. No one would care if I was gone. Seth, he's not even here, he's off with the other wolves, probably having a meeting or ritual or something. If he really cared about me then he would let me do this. He would let me take myself out of this world.

As the rain turned into a downpour I could see flashes of lightning brighten up the sky. I smiled. Maybe I would get struck by lightning. Then maybe my mom would see how much pain I've gone through all these years. All this rage and agony that's been building up inside of me for so long. Maybe she would change her mind about my father and not let him come see us.

I stepped in the mud and walked deeper and deeper into the forest, just trying to find the right spot where I could sit. My lips started quivering and every muscle in my body started shaking. As my pace slowed down and my legs wobbled I gave up. I just let myself fall into the mud, not caring about what happened to me or who found me, but hopefully nobody would.

Seth, he can take my place. He could live for me. Live the life I never had. And then he could get married to a beautiful blonde girl and have children. I just wanted him to be happy and me, I was only weighing him down. If I took myself out of the picture then the Volturi wouldn't have to fight the Cullens or the Quileutes. Everyone could stay safe and not have to worry about what would happen to them. See, this world would be so much better without me. So…so…much…better…

I could barely think straight at this point. The rain and the cold wind were making my lungs close up and I slowly felt my breathing lessen and lessen by the minute. My whole body was shaking uncontrollably now. It was too much too handle at this point. And then as the darkness started to engulf me I heard a voice.

"Keep breathing," it told me.

I tried to take one deep breath, "C-C-Chas-se?" his name barely even came out right. I didn't care if he heard me or not.

"They're coming," he whispered as if he were right next to me.

"N-no!" I tried to shout, "L-let m-me be-e," I stopped breathing again as the darkness came back and I welcomed it with open arms…

**Jasper's POV**

She was fine. Everything is fine. Alice could be wrong, right? I mean, Vanessa could've decided to turn around and go home.

Every possible question ran through my mind as I raced into the forest where Alice had supposedly seen Vanessa, lying there, dying. I couldn't let her die. Not her. She's my friend, a good friend and a friend that I possibly cared about a little bit more than I should and more than she would ever like.

I passed the clearing in a matter of seconds and then I quickened my pace hoping that Alice would be wrong, but knowing that what I was about to see would hurt me. Tree after tree I searched for her long, dark, curly hair and her green eyes.

"Vanessa!" I shouted, my voice echoed through the forest.

I slowed down a little bit so I could make sure that I scanned every bit of the area. I tried to listen for a desperate voice maybe calling my name or making any noise at all, but even with my ears I could hear nothing. Not a heartbeat or a pulse, or even her emotions which should be strong if she were about to kill herself. So this meant one thing and one thing only, I was too late…

**Yes i know you all probably hate me right now**

**so put your hatred onto a review and press that big button right down there somewhere =D**

**and if you ask me WHY WOULD YOU MAKE HER DO THAT?! ARE YOU CRAZY?!  
**

**then i will honestly say that's what came to mind at 10:30 p.m. and yes sometimes i am crazy  
**

**wow i am rambling tonight....**

**so on that note i will save your 20/20 vision (if you don't have 20/20 vision then my story must have injured your eyes already) and bid you adeu**


	20. 19 Stuttering

**so i hope all of you twilight fans out there got your twilight dvds **

**i am going to watch it pretty soon!!! woot woot!!! but i needed to post this before i do ;]**

**there's a lot of POVs in this chapter, including Seth's and idk tell me what you think of his POV cause im not sure if i captured it good enough, you guys be the judge**

**hope you like it!  
**

Chapter 19

Stuttering

**Jasper's POV**

I didn't know what I would do if I found this fragile human lying on the ground, dead. What would I tell Seth? What about her mother? How could she be so stupid?

But I couldn't be angry with her because I've felt the same way she has. I've wanted to die before, thinking that no one cared about what happened to me, but when I found Alice all of those thoughts suddenly went away. What I don't understand is what caused her to do this? What inside of her triggered this hatred of her life so much that she wanted to just give up?

As I passed each tree a bigger hole started to form in my dead heart. I couldn't find her anywhere. Her scent was covered up by the heavy rain that was beating down onto my back. She was hidden as if someone didn't want me to find her. A growl came out of my mouth as I searched everywhere for Vanessa. I wish I could hear something from her. Anything, a low cry, a slow heartbeat, or even the sound of her blood pumping through her veins. I would settle for the smell of her blood even if I would want it, I could control myself just to save her life.

And then I stopped dead in my tracks. Another vampire was just standing there with his back turned towards me, watching over something or someone. Was it her?

I dodged towards the figure, thinking that he was the one who caused her to do this. Before I could pounce onto him he turned around and stared at me. His eyes were teal and his skin was the same shade as mine.

"Jasper," he called, "She needs you."

I growled through my lips, "Who are you?" I asked.

"Chase," he answered, "Her Guardian."

I relaxed my now tensed muscles and stepped towards him, peering around him only to see her lifeless body lying on the ground in the mud. My whole body went numb as I crouched down beside her, trying to listen for her heart. It was a very low and slow heartbeat which was not a good sign. I was about to place my hands onto her when Chase put his hands on my shoulders, stopping me from picking her up.

"She's freezing, Jasper."

"What else can I do!" I snarled.

"The wolves will come," he sounded so calm. It was as if he didn't care that she was almost gone.

"I'm not just going to sit here and let her die! She's barely even alive at this point!"

"She is strong, she can hold on," He smiled down at me.

I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. He was smiling while she was dying?! This couldn't be one of the Guardians. He was supposed to be protecting her.

I turned my attention back to her, keeping my distance so that she wouldn't have to feel colder even though I really don't think she could get any colder.

"Vanessa," I whispered, "Please wake up. You can't die, not now. Stay alive, for Seth, for your mother. Stay alive for me," I kept my eyes on her blue lips and waited for some sort of reaction, but so far there was none. I wanted to do something for her, I wanted to save her from death, "Why would you do this to yourself why?!" I was mainly shouting at myself because I felt like I was obligated to help her, but I couldn't. Her and I are alike in so many ways, she's like the little sister I never had. I couldn't lose her like this. I put my face in my hands and kept my eyes on her face, waiting for her to come back to life, "Please," I said, not even noticing the vampire behind me.

Suddenly her pinky finger flinched along with the rest of her hand. Her lips opened up and her green eyes slowly came into sight.

"J-J-Jasper," she stuttered while her whole body trembled.

**Vanessa's POV**

Death wouldn't come fast enough. It was peaceful, yet slow. I was barely breathing and my heart was slowing down. I wanted to see my life flash before my eyes, but nothing was happening. What a lie. This whole world is full of lies.

"Hold on Vanessa," Chase kept repeating this over and over to me, but I didn't want to listen.

I was too cold to feel anything it was even hard to hear him talk and it was hard to hear the rain. I forced myself to stop breathing now, just waiting for heaven or hell. It would probably be hell.

"Jasper she needs you," he said.

Jasper? He's here? No, I don't want to be saved! I wanted to shout at them and do whatever I could to make both of them go away, but the darkness had complete control over me. I tried to fight it so I could tell them to leave, but I was numb and couldn't move anything because I was too weak.

"Who are you?" it was Jasper's voice. He sounded scared or angry I'm not sure which.

"Chase, her Guardian."

I wanted to talk to Jasper. I wanted to explain to him why I was doing this because I know that he is probably thinking why I would try to kill myself. But I would tell him that I was taking myself out of the picture for his family's sake.

I could sense that he was beside me now; his breath was so cold it made the…darkness…come back…and I couldn't…think straight…

"She's freezing Jasper," Chase said.

"What else can I do!" Jasper snarled back at him.

There was pain in his beautiful voice. With as much strength as I could use I pushed the darkness away again and tried to gain control over myself.

"The wolves will come."

Warmth was all I could think at this point. Wolves meant warmth.

"I'm not just going to sit here and let her die! She's barely even alive at this point!"

So I looked dead? Did I actually pull it off? Was I really heading into hell instead of back into the real world? Or is this light coming towards me heaven?

"She is strong, she can hold on."

I don't want to hold on! I just wanted to scream at them right now and tell them how much I wanted to be dead, but the light got closer and closer.

"Vanessa," I could barely even hear Jasper say this beside me, "Please wake up. You can't die, not now. Stay alive, for Seth, for your mother. Stay alive for me."

I started to feel my arms again and I felt the cold rain hitting my skin. I wasn't going to heaven or hell, I was waking up. At this point I knew death wouldn't accept me even though I wanted it so badly. So I fought against the darkness and tried to move something, anything. I couldn't tell if I was actually moving, but I tried.

"Please," he pleaded beside me.

I attempted to move my fingers in hope that he would see. Then I slowly tried to open my eyes and my mouth to speak, taking a breath of air again. The cold rain made me shake all over and when I saw Jasper's pale face suddenly light up in hope reality hit me. I was alive. I opened my mouth to speak. At first nothing came out, but then, "J-J-Jasper," I heard my familiar voice again, annoyed by it and mad that I was stuck in this world again.

The cold felt like it was piercing through me, "C-c-cold," I muttered.

Jasper looked up at Chase, "When are they going to get here?"

"Soon," he answered.

Jasper started growling, "How is that helpful? And you call yourself a Guardian!"

"S-s-stop," I curled up into a ball and tried to get warmer, but since it was still raining hugging myself did nothing for me.

"Hold on Vanessa, stay with me," Jasper said.

"J-Jasper," it was hard to speak through my chattering teeth and even harder because of the freezing cold pain throughout my whole body. It felt like I was lying on pins and needles.

"I'm here," he whispered.

"W-w-why?"

"What?"

I stared up at his face and took one deep breath that sent more pain throughout me, "Why a-a-re you s-s-saving m-me?"

"They're here," Chase said and once again he disappeared.

I heard howls and barks coming from behind me and the pain started to become too much to handle.

"S-Seth," my eyes started to close again and I felt two warm hands wrap around my waist and lift me up.

"You're ok now," someone cooed in my ear.

"No," my arms went numb again as I headed into unconsciousness…

**Seth's POV**

She looked so lifeless. Her skin was as pale as Jasper's and Alice's and her lips were bright blue. Her hair was full of mud and dirt and her clothes were soaking wet. I shuddered at the sight of her.

"S-Seth," she stuttered.

I phased back into my human form and quickly changed. Then I wrapped my arms around her and lifted her up. Her whole body was trembling uncontrollably and I did the first thing that came to mind, I held her close to me to thaw her icy body.

"You're ok now," I whispered in her nearly lifeless ear. I tried to sound calm, but on the inside I was freaking out. Why she would try to kill herself I don't know. But thinking about her ever wanting to die made my heart sting.

"No," she yelped and slipped into an unconscious state.

I started to run with Jasper right by my side. Even though he was quicker than me he kept the same pace as I did, staring down at Vanessa, my Vanessa.

"Why would you do this to yourself," I wanted to scream, but I knew it wouldn't help this situation. Jacob and Leah were running in front of me in their wolf form. She was still vibrating in my arms and she was as cold as a vampire at this point. Tears started to come out of my eyes. I felt like this was my fault. I should've stayed with her instead of going to this pack meeting. Knowing her past makes me feel obligated to protect her and to comfort her. But I wasn't there to help her through this, whatever it was. I just can't believe it got so bad that she would rather be dead instead of living. My life, my soul wanted to end her life. And it pained me to know that if she ever actually did commit…suicide then I would have to try and live without her.

When we reached the Cullen house Carlisle, Esme, and Alice were waiting in the living room with a bunch of blankets and heating pads. I set her gently down onto the couch and the three vampires bombarded her with the blankets. Carlisle squatted down next to her and checked her pulse.

"We need to keep her warm. Her pulse rate is low, luckily we made it there just in time," he grinned, fakely.

I flinched from the last part. Just in time. She was about to die, but we made it there just in time to stop her. You don't know how bizarre that sounds to me right now.

A couple seconds later Leah and Jacob walked into the house and came into the living room.

"Seth," Jake said to me, "Lie down next to her and hold her tightly against you. Your body heat will warm her up."

I immediately did as I was told and wrapped my arms around her shaky body. Her teeth were chattering under her blue lips. So I pressed our two mouths together and thawed her lips first.

Footsteps started to walk out of the room, but I could tell Jasper was still here. I don't understand why he clings to her so much. It's just…weird. But I guess I'll never fully understand how a vampire can ever be friends with a human.

She moaned from under me and I pulled my lips away.

"Ness?" I watched as her eyes started to open again, was it working?

"Where a-am I?" it seemed like she said.

"We're at the Cullens' house," I softly replied.

"Seth?" she looked at my face for the first time. Her eyes were glossy, but still beautiful.

"I'm here," I placed my cheek on her forehead and warmed up her skin.

**Vanessa's POV**

I didn't want to be here in the Cullen house. They all probably thought I was nuts. The only thing I wanted right now was warmth and I had it. I had him.

"W-warm," the damn cold made me unable to speak right. I couldn't even say one word without sounding stupid.

He kissed me wherever he could. My cheeks, my neck, and my hands. I no longer felt the pins and needles, but I was still freezing cold. I glanced over at Jasper who was staring at me.

"I'll leave you two alone," he grinned and slowly walked out of the living room.

"I'm sorry," he breathed in my ear.

"D-don't b-b-be," I slowly moved my head and placed it on his chest.

He sighed, "Why would you want to do this to yourself, Vanessa? Can you please explain it to me?"

I couldn't decipher if he was angry or not. His eyes were glued onto mine, searching for some sort of an answer. What could I tell him though?

I inhaled slowly, "My f-father, he w-wants to see m-me and my mom. And my mot-ther wants to f-forgive him. I was p-p-pushed over the edge," his body heat started to make me feel warmer now and my voice got less and less shaky.

A low grumble came out of his mouth, "And what did you expect I would do if I found out you were dead? Just go on living like nothing happened to you?"

I nodded, "I'm only w-weighing you d-down. You could h-have someone better."

He narrowed his eyes at me, "Weighing me down? Someone better?" I closed my eyes and he kissed my hair, "You are the best I could ever have. Weren't you listening to me when I explained imprinting to you?"

"Yes," I said.

"Then you know how much you mean to me. If I lost you, then I don't know what I would do. Committing suicide isn't the answer, Ness. As much as you think it is the only way out, it's not. And maybe," he shook his head, "Maybe if I understood more than you wouldn't feel so alone. But I'm trying so hard to make you feel like you aren't alone in this world. So many people care about you. All of the Quileutes and the Cullens. How do you think they would feel if you…died?"

I could tell the last word was hard to say for him, but he was right. Regardless of my mother and father I had so many people who probably would've hated to see me die. But I know one person who wouldn't miss me. And that's myself.

"I was stupid," I admitted. I'm not going to deny my stupidity, "But things would be so much calmer if I was taken out of the picture. The Cullens wouldn't have to worry about the Volturi, you guys could just live safely and not have to worry about this battle."

I was no longer as cold as before and he loosened his grip on me, bringing his right hand up to my cheek, "Taking yourself out of the picture wouldn't solve the problem with the Volturi. And if there is a battle then it wouldn't ever be your fault."

I sensed that someone else was in the room with us again. I looked over Seth's arm only to see Jasper, standing there with his hands behind his back.

"Are you alright?" he asked me.

I nodded, "I will be."

He looked down at the floor and didn't make eye contact with me again. I think I knew what he wanted to do.

"Seth, I'm pretty warm now," I pecked his lips, "Can me and Jasper talk?"

He looked over at Jasper and then back at me, "You sure?"

"Positive," I smiled.

He slowly let go of me and got up from the couch. He recovered me with the blankets again and then he walked out of the room, glancing back a couple of times.

Jasper didn't move any closer to me, he just stood there looking down at the floor. I wondered if he heard me explain to Seth why I did this. Maybe that's why he was acting this way.

"Did you hear?" I finally said.

He nodded in response.

"So do you think I was stupid for doing it or what?"

"You are not stupid, but trying to take your life away was. I'm not saying that your situation could be easily handled because it can't. And I'm sorry about your parents."

"I just feel so misunderstood. It's like people think I should be grateful for what my parents give me and I should forgive and forget, but I can't. I can't forgive my father for hurting me, I just can't."

He walked over to the couch and sat down, "If I tell you something do you promise to keep it a secret?"

He trusted me enough to keep a secret from everyone? Was it really that big of a secret? I didn't know what to say to him so instead of speaking I held out my pinky, "I pinky swear."

He chuckled and agreed by intertwining our pinkies.

Then he took one unnecessary deep breath, "You're actually the first human I've tried to grow a relationship with ever since I became a vampire. I used to think I was some hideous monster and everyone tried to convince me that I wasn't. The first time we met," he shook his head, "I almost killed you. The second time, you forgave me and you told me about yourself which made me think that you are not like any other human I've seen before. You're strong and you've helped me to believe that I'm not some monster. You mean a lot to me, Vanessa," he smiled which made me blush a little, "And I can honestly say that if you were to get hurt in any way then I would protect you like I would protect Alice or Bella or Renesmee. But knowing that they…want you to become one of them makes me feel more obligated to protect you."

Protection, everyone wants to protect someone. Why can't I protect anyone?! Oh that's right…I'm a freaking human… but I really don't get why we needed to keep that a secret.

"Thanks Jasper, and if I were a vampire then I would protect you too."

Both of us started to laugh together.

"We're totally best friends for life now!" I kidded.

"Psh of course we are. We put Tom and Jerry to shame!"

I raised one eyebrow, "Weren't they enemies, Jazz?"

He paused, "Don't ruin the moment Vanessa."

I rolled my eyes and both of us started to laugh once again…

**lol i have to admit that i love when Jasper said we put Tom and Jerry to shame XD**

**idk why i put that in there, but i thought it would be funny so yeah**

**review! review! review!  
**


	21. 20 Promises and Lies

**Alright so you all know that i try to update ASAP which also means that it might not be the day after i post one chapter because i do have school and homework and all that stupid stuff haha **

**this is where it gets 'steamy' *giggles***

**and to answer your question Madge umm...so she walked in the middle of a downpour and it was already really cold to begin with so she wanted to find some way to get hurt or some way that she could just get away from this place she was living in. So she walked into the forest (trees + lightning= trouble) and since it's freezing cold and since Seth's not there she starts shivering and shaking uncontrollably which causes her legs to start wobbling and all that so she falls and when she falls she doesn't bother to get up because she wants to just die at this point. So the rain and the wind are hitting her and she feels her body starting to shut down into unconciousness and she doesn't care anymore so she stops breathing, but Chase is keeping her alive by making her talk when she doesn't understand why he's there or why he's trying to save her. So the trick is that he's saving her in a way that she can save herself instead of him actually doing it. **

**if you still don't understand PM me ;]  
**

Chapter 20

Promises and Lies

You think that everything is normal and that this will just blow over somehow. Yet, in the back of your mind you know something bad will happen. To me the Volturi means trouble. So the Volturi plus the Cullens and the Quileutes equals…something unpleasant. But then if you add me, the freaky human girl who's supposedly 'special', into the equation you get…mass destruction. So how about we keep me out of the equation for right now...

I stayed at the Cullen household for the rest of the day, fearing that my mother had forgiven my dad and let him come to our house. Carlisle called her and let her know that I would be staying there for a while, but the good thing was that he didn't inform her about my little suicide attempt. The bad thing was that I was staying there because the Volturi were coming sometime this week. Alice didn't know exactly when, but we were prepared for anything. Our plan didn't work because I screwed it up by trying to kill myself. Instead of staying away from the Cullens I was in their house when the Volturi were coming which wasn't such a good idea if I was going to try to keep myself out of this so some battle wouldn't break out between them. So our plan shifted, I would stay inside the Cullen house with Leah, Collin, and Brady while they talked things through in the clearing. Was this a good idea? I don't know…but hopefully it would work.

Seth and I were going to get some of my clothes from my house today and bring them back here and today was a good time to do it since my mother wasn't home and since I didn't really feel like seeing her right now. Jasper and Edward were going to come with us just in case something bad was to happen…and hopefully nothing bad will happen today.

__

"Hey Alice," I called from the living room.

"Yeah?" she was by my side less than a second later.

"Why is there a whole outfit laying out on the couch?" I raised one eyebrow in suspicion.

She chuckled, "You can't wear the same outfit two days in a row. And besides what you're wearing doesn't show off any of your beautiful features."

I sighed. Everyone warned me about Alice's obsession with shopping. I told Seth that she wasn't that bad, but right now, I knew what all of the fuss was about.

"Thanks, I guess," I picked up the clean dark blue blouse and the vintage jeans and headed upstairs to get changed.

When I reached the top of the staircase I heard something in my head. It was his voice.

"Be aware of your surroundings," Chase's voice echoed inside of my head.

I stopped walking and turned around, checking to see if he was anywhere near me. When I realized there was nothing there I started walking again and just nodded my head hoping he would see it or something.

I walked down the hallway and looked at each of the doors, trying to figure out which one was the bathroom.

"The one on the left!" someone shouted.

I put my hand on the doorknob and slowly opened it up, "Thanks Edward!" I replied.

"No problem," I heard him say as I closed the door behind me.

When I looked into the mirror, I wrinkled my nose from what I saw. My hair was still full of mud from yesterday and my outfit was now completely ruined. I figured that I would have to take a shower and help the Cullens get some use out their bathroom that they barely even use. So I got undressed and took a long and hot shower to clean myself up.

After about twenty minutes of washing the dirt out of my hair I decided that I was clean enough for today. I stepped out of the shower, picked up one of the clean, white towels and wrapped myself in it. Suddenly I heard someone opening the door. Before I could react, Seth's face came into sight.

"Oh…uh, sorry," he covered his eyes with his hand and I smiled.

"It's fine, Seth, just keep your eyes closed for a second."

I quickly got changed in the too-perfect-for-wearing outfit that Alice had given me. It amazed me how the clothes were exactly my size. When I finished changing I walked over to where Seth was standing and wrapped my arms around his neck, "Now you can open them," I said.

He quickly took his hands off of his face and smiled at me, "So beautiful," he kissed my forehead.

"Am not," I giggled as he started nibbling on my ear.

He pressed his lips onto my jaw line and then he kissed my neck, "You know each different kiss has a different meaning."

"Oh really?" I grinned.

He pulled his head up and looked me in the eyes then he grabbed my hand and kissed it once, "A kiss on the hand means I adore you," then he pressed his lips onto my neck, "A kiss on the neck means we belong together," another one on my shoulder, "A kiss on the shoulder means I want you," I smiled and then he kissed my forehead, "A kiss on the forehead means forever you will be mine and a kiss on the lips means I love you," and last of all he pressed our mouths together, sending an electric spark through me.

The whole room was full of steam from the shower and his lips only made me sweat even more. He picked me up and set me down onto the sink which made me laugh. His hot tongue touched my lips and forced my mouth to open. I moaned from the pleasure I was feeling at this moment. But the ironic thing was that we were in a bathroom which was basically the only place where we could have some sort of privacy, even if I was sweating. For once we didn't have to stop for anything and I loved that he was more aggressive with me this time around. He playfully growled and grabbed my thigh, causing a small smile to appear on my face. I tried to kiss him back as passionately and fiercely as he did, but I wasn't nearly as good at this as he was.

Suddenly, I started to feel him tremble. His hand that was on my thigh was shaking, causing me to shake as well. His growling got fiercer and I knew he was going to lose control so I tried to pull away. Almost forgetting how to breathe I gasped and unlocked our lips.

"Seth, I think we should stop," I put my hand on his chest and tried to push him away, I didn't want him to phase now. He forced our mouths together again and his lips were still vibrating, maybe even more than they were before and yet again I found myself trying to push him off of me, "Seth, please stop!" I tried to shout at him so that he wouldn't phase like this, but he wouldn't listen to me. So I decided to try something. I gasped out loud and point towards the window, "Look, its Aro!" I shouted.

Seth head shot up towards the window and he started growling harshly instead of playfully, taking one step away from me. I used this opportunity to jump down from the sink and when he realized what I did and why I did it he turned back around towards me and I could tell he was calmed down now by the big sigh he let out.

"I'm sorry, I lost control," he looked down at the floor.

"There's no reason to be sorry," I walked over to where he was standing and took his hand in my sweaty palm.

"I could've really hurt you and if I ever did that I wouldn't be able to live with myself," he shook his head from side to side, "Things would be so much easier if I wasn't some freaky werewolf."

I was going to slap him for calling himself a freak, but I knew it would only hurt me so instead I just rested my other hand on his cheek, "Maybe things would be easier, but I love you for who you are, Seth. And nothing could ever change that, not even the fact that you almost phased while we were kissing," I chuckled, "I actually think it was kind of…sexy, I mean to think that I made you lose control makes me love the wolf inside of you. Not to mention the growling, which only made it sexier," I bit my lip and took my hand off of his cheek, running my fingers up and down his muscular chest instead. The only reason why I was able to do this was because he started to smile at what I was doing to him which made me think that he liked it. Otherwise, there was no way in hell I would be able to call him sexy out loud.

He reeled me in closer to him and started growling playfully once again, "You do bring out the animal in me."

I laughed as he started to kiss me again and the heat off of his body made me sweat even more, but I loved it and I loved him. We kept our lips like this for a couple of minutes and when someone finally came and knocked on the door, interrupting our moment of complete bliss, we reluctantly stopped. He kissed me passionately for a few seconds, but when someone started pounding on the door, almost breaking it in the process, he stopped.

"Hey mutt, you're wanted downstairs," Rosalie screamed from the other side of the door.

He sighed, "Tell the other bloodsuckers to be patient!"

"Patient? Really? We've been waiting for you for about thirty minutes! Let's go! Now!" her harsh yelling made my ears hurt.

He loosened his tight grip on me and kept only our hands intertwined now, "We need to find a place where we don't get interrupted," he told me.

I laughed, "I don't know a steamy bathroom in a house full of vampires who don't use it seemed like a pretty private place to me."

We slowly walked towards the door together, "No wonder why you're sweating uncontrollably," he wiped my forehead with his hand and I immediately tried to push his hand away because the heat wasn't helping much.

"Seth, I really don't think more heat will help me right now."

He half smiled and pulled his hand away, "You're probably right."

We walked out of the room and the fresh air felt good against my sweaty body. I took a couple deep breaths as we headed towards the stairs and when I caught a glimpse of the vampires that were waiting downstairs my heart started thudding inside of my chest. Absolutely all of them were sitting there and there were a lot of them too. But I shouldn't be scared of them because they weren't here to eat me. All of the other Quileutes were there as well. It was basically a full house and really I felt intimidated by all of them.

When we reached the bottom of the staircase, Seth kissed my right temple. My hair was still sort of wet, but at least my outfit looked good. Both of us sat down on the couch in the living room where everyone was gathered around. I sat next to Jasper and Alice and watched as Carlisle arose from his seat to speak.

"As you all may or may not know Alice has seen that the Volturi will be here by tomorrow," Carlisle started, "But because of recent complications," I hid my face behind my hair at that part, "Our plans have shifted."

"What do you mean by shifted?" Kate asked.

"Since Vanessa is staying here Leah, Collin, and Brady will be with her at all times in our house to make sure that the Volturi doesn't suspect anything of her. Yes, they have a psychic and they have seen Vanessa before, but if we keep her out of this then they won't try anything."

I shuddered.

"His name is Lewis," Alice added in a happy tone and a delicate smile. How she could be so calm I don't know, but she always seemed happy.

"Have you heard anything about the one who can control other's minds?" Zafrina asked from afar.

"No," Alice looked down at her hands, "I don't know why, but he doesn't seem like he…wants to fight. So, maybe he won't be very much trouble."

"He's a part of the Volturi why the hell would he not want to fight?" Jacob asked with a puzzled look on his face.

I kept my eyes on Alice to see what her response was. She only shook her head, "Maybe if you weren't here than I could answer that question!" she stood up and hissed at him. Jacob moved towards her, but Carlisle stopped both of them from killing each other.

"Settle down, this is neither the time nor the place to be fighting about this sort of thing," Carlisle said.

Jacob went back to where he was standing and Alice sat back down next to Jasper. I felt Seth squeeze my hand and I looked over at him. He was staring at me with a worried expression on his face.

"Are you alright?" I whispered.

He nodded his head and I smiled.

"So it will be alright if we go to get Vanessa's things today?" I heard Jasper ask from behind me.

"Yes, I don't see any trouble with that. Although I really can't see much of anything at all right now!" Alice replied looking at all of the wolves while she said it.

"Alice, please," Esme calmly said to her.

Alice put her face in her hands, "Sorry," she whispered lowly.

I thought about the bad things that could happen. The Volturi was coming to check up on Renesmee's progress, but what would happen if they found out about me? Would this battle happen or not? I needed to ask this and I needed to ask now.

"What would happen if they somehow," I gulped, "found out about me?"

Everyone's eyes went to me and I felt Seth rubbing my back with his warm hand. I kept my eyes on Carlisle and searched for some sort of answer, but his expression was blank.

And then I saw Bella look over at me from the other side of the living room, "I will use my shield so they can't hear your thoughts or see you in any way," she smiled.

"But, what if that doesn't work? Shouldn't we be prepared for that if it were to happen?" I shook my head.

I saw Edward slightly move, "Do you think there is any possible way for them to get around Bella's shield?" he asked Carlisle.

"I'm not certain of the strength of their newest members, if anything she should keep her thoughts clear," he looked all around the room now, "And that goes for everyone. We don't want Aro to hear you thinking about her. We've practiced this before so I'm sure you all know how to do it."

Everyone nodded in response and I felt Seth tense up beside me, "How can I…clear my thoughts?" I felt like asking so I did.

"Act dumb," Emmett laughed from behind me.

I turned around and rolled my eyes at him, "Thanks Em that helps me so much."

He winked at me, "No problem."

"Be serious Emmett," Rosalie said.

I sighed and turned back towards the rest of the wolves and vampires. I can admit that I'm really worried about tomorrow and it probably showed too. I really wish this wasn't going to happen tomorrow, maybe in a couple of years I could handle it, but not now. I just started to make some really good friends here, like Jasper and Emmett and Jacob and Leah. Too many of them to name right now actually. And I just met the guy of my dreams. Why does this have to happen to me? I closed my eyes.

Something suddenly made me feel better, calmer.

"Jasper," I started to say, "Don't."

I quickly got up from the couch and ran out of the living room, "Vanessa, wait!" Seth called from behind me, but I didn't listen I just ran up the stairs and locked myself in a room, someone's bedroom, but I really didn't care whose it was. I turned around and slumped down onto the floor, just crying to myself and sulking because that's all that I'm good at and all I'll ever be good at. I mean maybe I'll die, so I guess it doesn't matter what I could be good at in the future.

"Ness, please come out," Seth said calmly, "Everything's going to be alright, nothing bad will happen."

I didn't respond to him I just let the river of tears come out of my eyes and lied down on the ground. Someone else's footsteps were heading towards the door now and they started pounding on the door.

"Vanessa," Jasper's voice called through the door, "You know that we're going to do whatever we can to stay safe. All of us know what we're doing and we all know how to fight. You're going to be fine, Seth's going to be fine, and I'm going to be fine. So please come out," He basically pleaded for me to open the door. I knew both of them could break it down easily, but who really wants to pay for a new door right?

I sat up and wiped my eyes, "Do you both promise me that you won't get hurt?" I whispered.

"I promise I will stay alive for you," Seth answered right away.

Jasper on the other hesitated to reply, "Jazz?" I said, looking at the white door behind me.

"Vanessa-,"

"Just answer the question already!" I interrupted by shouting.

He sighed, "I can't promise anything at this point because I don't know what the outcome will be. If I say I promise, then that would be a lie because I can't promise you that I won't get hurt."

My head started spinning from his words. Was he telling me that he was going to die or was that just another bad attempt at trying to make a human feel better?

I slowly got up, a little dazed by what he said, and I opened the door revealing the two people I cared about most. Seth pulled me into an embrace while Jasper just looked at the hurt I filled my eyes with. How could he say that to me?

"I love you," Seth whispered in my ear and kissed my neck.

I stared at Jasper as he looked into my eyes as if he was saying, 'I'm sorry, but it's true' or something along those lines. Right before Seth pulled out of our embrace Jasper quickly disappeared. Seth stared at me and I smiled back at him.

"I…I'm sorry I freaked out like that," I shook my head, "I don't know what I was thinking, it was really stupid of me."

"It's alright I understand where you were coming from."

We gazed into each other's eyes for a moment and both of us fell into our well known trance. It might not seem like it means a lot, but to us it does.

"Seth! Vanessa! We have to go!" I heard Edward shout from downstairs.

"Coming," Seth mumbled as if Edward would hear him.

He slowly leaned his face in towards mine and then he protectively kissed my forehead. And then when his lips were no longer touching my skin I felt like for some reason I would miss this.

Then we walked down the stairs once again and met Edward and Jasper at the bottom of the staircase. Jasper was staring out of the window while Edward was saying goodbye to Bella. For some reason this felt…weird. Something didn't seem right to me. My shoulders tensed up and I took a quick glance around the room remembering what Chase told me this morning, be aware of your surroundings.

Then I felt something cold touch my arm and I flinched. Edward looked at me confused, "You ok?" he asked me.

I hesitantly bobbed my head up and down, "Let's just get this over with."

Seth rubbed my back and kissed my hair, leading me towards the door with Edward and Jasper quickly following us. As soon as we got out of the huge mansion Seth picked me up into his arms and I nestled myself into his warm chest. Edward and Jasper were on either side of us now, Edward keeping an eye out on the right of us and Jasper on the left. It was cold outside, again. Figures though since it's near the end of fall.

As we reached the forest I kept my eyes wide open for any sight of…them. Chase didn't help me anymore and I never really understood why he was called a Guardian. He really didn't help with anything, well except for the warning about the battle. But what if there isn't even a battle? How is that supposed to help me? Right now, he didn't seem to be helping me at all because really all he was doing to me was making me even more worried than I should be. Which sucks…

Edward slowed down a little, paying more attention to the things behind us instead of in front of us and Jasper did the same while Seth kept his eyes on me and only me. I was just trying to stay warm at the moment. We were headed for the clearing and I could just see it only a few feet ahead of us now.

Then, suddenly, Edward stopped dead in his tracks and soon after Seth and Jasper stopped as well.

"What's wrong?" Jasper asked.

Edward looked dead ahead of us, his eyes wide open and his eyebrows furrowed thoughtfully. Maybe he heard a hunter's thoughts or something. I didn't really pay attention to it. I sighed and closed my eyes, resting my head on Seth's shoulder. A low growl came out of Seth's mouth which made it harder to get comfortable so I figured sleeping wasn't really going to happen right now. I looked up at all three of their faces and then when I saw the same shock in all three of their eyes I was wondering what was going on.

Edward turned his head towards us, "They're here," he whispered so lowly that I didn't really understand what he said, but since I saw both Jasper and Seth freeze up I knew it could only mean danger…

***gaspage***

**another cliffy**

**mwuahhahahaha**

**so i want to hear your opinions...do you think Jazz loves Vanessa or not? **

**review me and tell me your answer!!!!  
**


	22. 21 Don't Think, Don't Move

**i know this chapter is really short but i'm pretty sure that you'll all understand why**

**it kind of sucks...but idk the next chapter will definitely be better**

**ENJOY!!!! **

**and i wanna give a shout out to all the Twileutes!!! TL =]**

Chapter 21

Don't Think, Don't Move

Simplicity is all I am asking for, but me out of all people should know that things are never simple. So when Edward supposedly heard one of the Volturi's thoughts I wished for this to be simple, but since we were standing there, in the forest, not too far away from them I knew things would get complicated. And I was supposed to be at the Cullen household when they came. So, now what?

__

As all three of them stood there frozen in their place I started panicking. Why did they have to come now out of all days? Alice said it would be ok if we went out today, yeah right…I should've known better.

Edward was the first one to move, he turned around and put his index finger over his mouth. I really don't remember saying anything. He then lifted his finger and tapped the side of his head.

_Crap, _I thought quietly. They could hear my thoughts too and if I didn't keep them clear then they would find out about me. Seth's arms wrapped tighter around me for a single second and then he gently kissed the top of my head. I stared at his worried expression as he set me down onto the ground very carefully.

The three of them huddled in closer to each other and started talking so quickly that I couldn't even catch one word that they spoke.

**Edward's POV**

Some of the Volturi's thoughts were still rolling through my mind. One's like "I'm going to rip them all to shreads," and others like, "I want to get a hold of that human," meaning Vanessa.

_Why did they have to come today out of all days? Alice said it would be ok if we went out today, yeah right I should've known, _Vanessa's thoughts pulled me out of my frozen state and I immediately turned around and put my finger over my mouth. She looked back at me in a puzzled way. So I raised my finger and tapped my head.

_Crap, _she silently said inside of her head one last time before I could no longer hear her thoughts.

"They'll be in the clearing," I could hear one of the vampires inform Aro from afar.

"Excellent," Aro hissed.

I quickly turned around and glanced at Seth so he would put Vanessa down. And then the three of us started to mumble so that Vanessa wouldn't have to hear what we were saying.

"I'm taking her back," Seth stated quickly.

I shook my head, "It's too late, if we take her back then we risk one of them following us."

"What are you suggesting we do?" Jasper started growling at me. I really don't understand why he was getting angry with me when we had bigger problems to deal with.

I turned away from him so that I wouldn't get angry and pondered for a moment. We didn't have many options at this point. The Volturi would be here in no time and the only thing I could come up with that we could try to do was to keep her here and cover up her scent with Seth's disgusting scent. It could work, but she'd also have to keep her thoughts clear the whole time and that means Seth can't think about her either. It was worth a shot.

I glanced over at Seth and thankfully he was wearing an unnecessary jacket. He wouldn't need it, I just figured that he wore to keep Vanessa warm. It would have to do for now.

"Seth, take your jacket off."

**Vanessa's POV**

The mumbling suddenly stopped and Edward just stared at Seth.

"Seth, take your jacket off," he demanded.

I furrowed my eyebrows, confused as to why he was telling him to take his jacket off, "What's going on?" I finally asked.

All three of their eyes suddenly shot in my direction and their expressions suddenly changed, "Seth wrap it around her," Edward told him, with his eyes on me.

Seth came over to where I was standing and held the jacket open so I could put it on, "I'm not cold," I protested, "Why aren't we heading back?"

Edward quickly whispered something in Jasper's ear and Jasper looked at me and then back at Edward, "She'll be alright, Jazz," I heard him say.

And then in the blink of an eye Jasper disappeared into the trees, heading towards the house. Seth stood in front of me and I could see the pain in his eyes as he stared at my face and I put my arms through the sleeves of his jacket, "Vanessa, you're going to have to stay here for a while," Seth whispered to me.

"What?! Why?" I shouted and Edward shushed me in a harsh tone.

"There's no time to take you back one of them could follow us if we try. So we're covering up your scent with Seth's scent," Edward calmly replied.

"And you're going to leave me here alone in the woods?!" I furiously stomped my foot on the ground.

"It's the only thing we can do at this point. This is the only way to keep you safe from danger. If they found you,-"

"Yeah, yeah I know they'll try to change me," I muttered, "What else do I have to do?"

The only thing I wanted to do right now was scream and run away, but I couldn't. If I had another choice then I would love to choose that instead of this. It was way too risky and it would be my entire fault if I accidentally did something I wasn't supposed to do.

"Don't move because if you do then they'll hear. Try to keep your thoughts clear," Edward glanced over at Seth, "Keep your thoughts clear too, don't worry about her, we will keep her safe," Seth stared down at the ground and hesitantly nodded, "And stay calm," Edward weakly smiled, "Everything will be ok," he tried to encourage me, but it wasn't working because I didn't feel any better about this.

Seth grabbed my hand and kissed my cheek, "I love you, no matter what happens," he whispered in my ear.

I looked at him, smiled, and nodded, trying not to think about all of the things I wanted to say to him right now. He wrapped his arms around me and held me tightly against his chest for a couple of minutes and we stood there like this, waiting for them to finally arrive. He was either doing this so his scent would rub off on me more or because he didn't know what would happen. I think it was both though because I didn't know what was going to happen next either and because I wanted to stay out of this for his sake so his scent was welcomed.

"The others are in the clearing, Seth," Edward said.

I wanted to scream, I wanted to cry, I wanted to say goodbye to everyone, but I couldn't. I had to keep a straight face and keep quiet. I wasn't safe and I knew that, this was a stupid idea, but there was nothing else to do so we had to do this.

Seth quickly pecked my lips and my forehead and then the two of them were heading towards the clearing. I stared at them and saw Seth glance back a couple of times before they finally disappeared out of sight.

So I would wait, wait for this to be over with and just hope that I wouldn't screw this up…

**Seth's POV**

As we walked away from her I felt my heart start to sting once again. I looked over my shoulder and saw her standing there staring back at us. She looked so helpless I just wanted to be with her right now more than anything. I didn't care if I would get myself killed. As long as she stayed safe then I would be ok. And then when I could no longer see her I felt my heart drop. This was it, the moment all of us were waiting for. Our fate would be decided here and now.

When I saw the rest of my pack and Sam's pack and the vampires I phased quickly and shook my head so I could clear my thoughts. If there was anyone who would screw this up it would be me. Then everyone would be doomed and who knows what will happen.

I took my place next to my sister and prepared myself for them. I quickly scanned the forest on the other side of the clearing and I started to hear their footsteps. Then I looked at the vampires. Each of them had different looks in their eyes. Edward looked..angry, maybe from their thoughts, but I don't know. Alice, looked surprisingly scared as she took Jasper's hand in hers. I stared at them for a moment. I would give so much to be able to hold Vanessa's hand right now…

_Later Seth, we have to focus, _Jacob's voice echoed inside my head, interrupting my thoughts. I shook my head again and stared off into the distance at vampires that were now coming into site. Aro had a smile plastered on his face and Alec and Jane quickly followed behind him along with the rest of the Guard, new members and old.

It only took a minute for them to reach us. We all stood there calmly and yet we were ready to fight them if we had to. Aro's eyes were glued to Renesmee because after all she was the reason why they were here right now. Hopefully they would just talk and leave without-

Leah stepped on my paw and I immediately stopped.

Aro's eyes went to me for a quick second, but then he lost interest and approached Edward, Bella, and Renesmee.

"Renesmee, my how you've grown," Aro chuckled.

I took the opportunity to look at the newest members of the Guard. I recognized Felix, Heidi, and Demetri, but there were two that stood out. One with the same crimson red eyes as the rest of them and the other with…grey eyes? That's weird…

His hair reminded me of….and his features looked somewhat similar to…

"It's nice to see you again, Aro," Carlisle's voice interrupted my thoughts.

"Yes, very nice," Aro smiled and shook Carlisle's hand.

"I see that you've gained a few new members," Carlisle pointed out.

Aro turned towards the rest of them, "It's always nice to have new additions," then he turned back towards all of us, "There are still a few spots open," his eyes scanned each of the Cullens for any sign of acceptance to his offer. Yeah right, I doubt any of them would want to join his coven of robots.

Leah stomped onto my paw again and I yelped out in pain.

_You're so stupid, _she rolled her eyes and I watched as Aro headed towards me.

"Seth," Aro's voice made my muscles tense up and I started growling through my clenched teeth, "No need for that now is there, I come in peace," he held up his hand and took another step closer to me. If he even tried to touch me then I would seriously bite his hand off. I started to growl louder to let him know that I wasn't going to play the nice guy, especially this time. Aro raised one eyebrow at my actions.

"Certainly you came here to check up on Renesmee and as you can see she has stopped her growth spurt. Is there any other reason why you've come Aro?" Zafrina said from the side of me, but I just kept my eyes on the ass in front of me.

"No, that is all I need," He stared me down with a puzzled expression on his dead face, "But I am a little discouraged by your actions towards me Seth," he leaned his head towards me and I was so tempted to break his neck at that point, "I only mean well."

_Bull shit, _I snarled. At this point I didn't care about what he did as long as we kept her safe.

Leah scoffed as Aro started to bring his hand towards my head, "Now, now Leah, you know I wouldn't harm him in any way," he smiled.

And then I felt his cold, disgusting hand on the top of my head. And at this point the only thing I wanted to do was take him down and kill him off so that he wouldn't hurt her.

I looked up at Aro as his expression turned from calm to surprised and anxious, "You imprinted on the special one," he half smiled.

_Don't even think about it! _I shouted in my mind and got ready to tackle him. My paws were digging into the ground and I bared my teeth at him.

Jane and Alec were on either side of him now, along with the new one with grey eyes. I could feel my mouth starting to close and my vocal chords were cut off, but I wasn't making myself do this. I looked at all of them and saw the new one concentrating on me. He was the one who was making me do this because he had control of my mind now…

I narrowed my eyes at all of them.

"Thank you, Zach."

**yupp so there it is**

**im pretty sure that you could all sense it would be this way**

**but the next chapter will have Vanessa's POV so keep in mind that she still doesn't know about Zach *wink wink***


	23. AUTHOR'S NOTE! PLEASE PLEASE READ!

**Author's Note: **

Alright guys so I know you were probably all hoping that this was another chapter and you're all probably anxious to find out what happens next, but I don't know when I will update next. Maybe in a couple of days, maybe not. I'm just going through a difficult time right now and today's chapter could've been so so so much better which is half the reason why I'm not starting another chapter right now. I'm sorry if some of you are disappointed in this message, but you have to understand why I am stopping for now. It's because I know with all of this stuff that's going on in my life then I won't be able to write the best chapter I could write.

I was so disappointed by my last chapter and I'm sorry that it sucked so bad. It's just I found something bad out a couple of days ago and it's really affecting me at the moment, but I wanted to update for all of you. Thank you guys for the wonderful reviews! I appreciate all of them! You guys are amazing and I'm glad that I have some dedicated readers. I will update as soon as I figure things out. I just need time to get things straight.

I'M SORRY!!!!! I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!

But bye bye for now and keep checking your emails for my updates… I won't let you guys down…the next chapter will be EPIC!!! Haha


	24. 22 Choices

**alright so i updated sooner than i expected too...this chapter took a lot of thought and i'm pleased with it and i hope it makes up for the sucky last chapter i posted ;]**

**everything is sorted out and i am feeling better which is why i am posting this chapter **

**sooo thanks for the reviews and i hope you like it!!!**

Chapter 22

Choices

I stood there as the cool fall breeze hit my body. My eyes were glued to the tiny path that Seth and Edward had walked through. I didn't think or move a muscle and I barely even blinked. It was as if someone had frozen me in my place or put me in a time capsule or something like that. It was easy to keep my thoughts clear because I couldn't even process a thought at the moment. I attempted to hear what they were saying, but failed miserably because the wind was way too loud and obnoxious today. Hopefully I was doing a good job so far…

I don't know how long I was standing there for. Maybe an hour, maybe only two minutes, I couldn't tell nor did I care right now. But I'm guessing that if it was more than two or five minutes then things would be going well. That would be good.

Suddenly, a noise from behind me made me jump. I kept my eyes on the path though because I didn't want to know who it was. The sound of their footsteps inching towards me ringed in my ears and I figured that it was one of them here to take me away or just change me on the spot. My curiosity got the best of me and I slowly turned my head around and carefully turned the rest of my body around as well. So much for not moving…

Then with one small sigh of relief I let my muscles relax from inside of me. Hopefully Chase was here to save me and take me away from here right now. He walked closer to me and it was the first time that I could really admire his perfect features. His eyes were so mesmerizing and there was not a strand of hair out of place as it swayed with the wind.

"Aro knows that Seth imprinted on you," he said in a normal tone as if they couldn't hear.

I put my finger over my mouth and he shook his head. Even though I was scared that Aro knew about me and Seth I immediately put it out of my mind for the time being.

"Their powers won't work around me," he smiled, "You're safe for now."

I narrowed my eyes in suspicion, "Why are you here, Chase?"

"I'm your Guardian Angel remember," he stopped only two feet away from me now and I could honestly say that I was about ready to faint from the sight of him.

"So what are you here to save me?"

"Not exactly. The Guardians don't just save people in the way you think," he explained to me and it only made me more confused than I was before.

"Ok," I looked over my shoulder to make sure none of them were coming, "So tell me then, how do you save people?"

He took one step closer to me and our faces were nearly touching, "We don't think of ourselves as protectors, just making others aware of what's to come. Like the first time I communicated with you and when I communicated with you today."

I stared at him in confusion, "So when you told me to be aware of my surroundings you knew that the Volturi was coming today instead of tomorrow?" I glanced over my shoulder again.

"Yes," he replied.

"So why couldn't you just tell me they were coming instead of putting everyone in danger like this?" I wanted to shout at him, but I knew it wouldn't help things so I said it quietly.

He sighed, "The Guardians can't change fate, I mean no one can change fate. We were human once you know, we're just considered good because we help people instead of hurt them and we have some of the most power and yet unique gifts known to the vampire world," his eyes shot up to the path behind me.

"So you help people in a way where you don't exactly save them like superheroes you just save them by making them save themselves?" You know how sick and twisted that sounded to me right now? I don't even know what I meant by that, but apparently he did because he nodded in response.

"It's hard to explain right now," he walked around me, keeping his eyes on the path that led to the clearing, "Everything will be clear to you one day in the future though."

I turned around towards him again, but didn't see anything ahead of us, "What's wrong?"

"One of them is coming," he faintly said.

At that point I started to panic, since he would be no help at all I didn't know what to do. Well he was sort of helping by not letting Aro hear my thoughts at the moment, but still I knew he wouldn't stay for long because, for some reason, he couldn't and supposedly I would understand why soon.

"What should I do?" I asked.

"Nothing, he will take you to the clearing where the rest of them are. Aro knows where they left you and he's sending one of his guards to come and get you for him."

My body went numb. This was it, what we were dreading. They were coming to get me and nothing was stopping them now. Chase stood there motionless and yet he seemed calm. I knew that this meant danger, that I was putting everyone at risk because I couldn't stay out of sight. And now all I could do was pray that they wouldn't harm my friends, they could just change me and spare their lives.

Chase started to walk the other way, "Wait!" I nearly shouted, "Why can't you stay?"

He hesitated to answer, but he turned towards me, "It's hard to explain," he said yet again, "But this vampire won't hurt you."

"How could you be so sure of that?" I asked.

He walked over to where I was standing and put both of his freezing cold hands on both of my arms, "You know him more than you think you do. This vampire doesn't want to hurt you, he doesn't want to hurt any of you," his eyes shot up towards the path again, "You've seen him before," he whispered lowly. I kept my eyes on his face as he stared at the forest behind me, "I'll be watching over you," he whispered again.

I nodded my head and then half a second later he was gone. I was resistant to turning around again because I didn't feel like seeing this vampire even if he wasn't going to hurt me. But supposedly I knew him and I guess I've seen him before. I really didn't understand why Chase couldn't just tell me who it was instead of keeping me guessing. I was confused as to why he couldn't do anything to help me…

I took one deep breath and turned around towards my fate and when I saw him standing there already, keeping quiet, I felt my heart drop. He had short, dark hair and the most peculiar grey eyes. But Chase was right about this, I did know him from somewhere, but I couldn't put my finger on where or when.

He took one step forward and I stepped away from him, "I won't hurt you," he spoke in a velvet voice that made my ears buzz. His voice sounded familiar as well…too familiar. Who is he?

"So, you're just here to take me to the clearing? How is that not hurting me? They're going to change me," I tried to sound mean and angry, but I could tell that I wasn't intimidating him one bit because he kept a straight face.

He looked down at the ground and opened his mouth to speak, "I'm sorry," he said, "But there's nothing else I can do."

"What do you mean there's nothing else you can do? You can refuse."

He shook his head, "No, I can't," and then he walked towards me again, faster now. I started to step away, but then he used his vampire speed and grabbed my wrist, taking up in his arms, "I'm so sorry," he whispered before he started to run again and we were there, standing in the clearing, about a second later.

I saw a bunch of vampires, with crimson red eyes and pale, papery like skin. I figured the one grinning at me was Aro and the two young ones behind him were Alec and Jane. I didn't forget what Jasper told me about their gifts. So I figured that I would have to be careful of them if they tried to do something to me.

The grey eyed vampire set me down on the ground and I searched for Seth. When I finally found him, staring over at me with a sorry look in his eyes, my heart started beating uncontrollably.

"It's very nice to finally meet you, Vanessa," Aro said to me and I turned my head towards him. Even though I wanted to say so much to him right now I didn't. I kept my mouth shut.

And then, suddenly, he was right in front of me. I was going to run, but I knew it wouldn't help anything because he was quicker than me. So I just stood there as he brought his hand closer and closer to my face and touched my cheek with his pale finger.

"May I?" he asked. It seemed like a rhetorical question because the next thing I knew he put the rest of his palm on my cheek and his face went blank. One of the wolves was growling from beside me.

"I won't harm her in any way, Seth," he chuckled.

I waited for him to finish listening in on my thoughts and when he furrowed his eyebrows in confusion I pulled my face away from his icy touch.

"You were speaking with him weren't you?" he asked me with some sort of desire in his blood shot eyes.

"Who?" I managed to blurt out. I looked around the clearing at all of my friends and when I saw Jasper take a step towards Aro and Jane take a step towards Jasper I wanted to scream, but I didn't because Aro seemed to notice what was going on by the way his head jerked in Jane's direction.

"Please, Jane," he said politely and then turned his attention back to me, "You were speaking with Chase, before you were taken here, correct?"

I didn't say anything because I didn't feel like telling him the truth and he didn't need to know anyways. Obviously Aro was frustrated because Chase blocked our conversation so he couldn't hear it. And I was sort of happy that he didn't hear what Chase told me.

"Fine, do as you please," he finally looked away from me and flashed his eyes between Seth, who was growling at him, and me, "Interesting," Aro muttered.

Everyone around me was silent and I hated the silence. Why was I the only one being confronted and what did he see in Seth that made him think this was somehow interesting?

When he looked at me I figured that he knew why I was confused.

"The way he protects you is interesting," he explained, "I mean you are going to become a vampire someday so I don't understand why he puts up with you."

Seth got into a crouched position and flung into the air, but midway he surprisingly fell to the ground and flinched in pain. "Seth," I cried and ran over to where he was lying on the ground. I knew Jane was using her power to put him in pain, "Please, stop," I pleaded, "What do you want?" I asked aloud and barely saw Leah walking over to where both of us were.

"Jane, that's enough now," Aro held his hand out and touched Jane's shoulder gently and when I could no longer see Seth flinch I sighed in relief, turning my body back around towards Aro once again, "It's just a simple request Vanessa," he started striding towards us and I stood up, "I know that one day when you are changed you will have a very powerful and strong gift, so," Seth growled, interrupting Aro's statement, "So, I am offering you a chance to let me change you and join us," he gestured towards the rest of his guards and I scanned each of them stopping at the grey eyed one who was looking down at the ground instead of staring at me like the rest of them were. I paused for a long moment and looked at the Cullens for some help, but all of their expressions were blank and when I saw Jasper's face I saw fear in his eyes. Everyone around me was anticipating my answer and we all stood there for a while, well it felt like a while at least.

"It's your decision Vanessa," Aro said patiently waiting for me to respond in some sort of way.

I didn't know what to say nor did I want to answer him.

"Fine," Aro interrupted my thoughts and smiled at me, "Since you don't seem to have an answer right now we will offer you more time to consider your decisions."

"How much?" Jasper asked, his voice sounding shaky.

Aro turned towards him, "Tomorrow we will return," then he raised one eyebrow at me and scanned my body, "But choose wisely," he told me and stared at me once more before he walked away. Seth immediately came to my side. I watched Aro as he shook all of the Cullens' hands and muttered something to Renesmee, Edward, and Bella that I figured only vampire or werewolf ears could hear. The three of them all smiled awkwardly. Emmett and Rosalie were looking into each other's eyes with the same worried expression on their faces and Jasper and Alice did the same. Something bad was going to happen and I could sense it.

I felt Seth's fur touch my side and I glanced over at him as he stared up at my face, "Tomorrow we shall return," Aro said from behind us, "I expect an answer from you Vanessa."

I shuddered from the sound of my name being called and I slowly bobbed my head up and down, keeping my eyes on Seth instead of seeing Aro's face again. I looked into his dark eyes and they seemed…cold. Never once before did his eyes look cold to me, but now they did. He knew the choices I had to choose between while I only knew one. And the other choice, whatever it was, had him acting differently, very differently.

Before I could blink someone's cold hand was on my shoulder and I jumped, thinking it was Aro again, but it was only Jasper. I turned around and realized that the Volturi had disappeared into the dark forest. It was nearly twilight at this point and I could just about see the sun through the clouds, shining down on us and making all of the vampires sparkle so beautifully. But none of them paid attention to the sun they all just stared at the empty space in front of them with expressions that seemed to say 'now what?'

I looked into Jasper's eyes as he seemed to be searching for something to say to me, "What?" I broke the awkward silence.

He shook his head, "Let's get home…" his voice trailed off into a faint whisper and he walked to where Alice was standing, pulling her into a tight, yet delicate to a vampire, embrace and kissed the top of her head multiple times as her shoulders shook. Was she crying?

I felt someone's warm hand intertwine with mine and I didn't even realize that all of the wolves had phased back to human form until, out of the corner of my eye, I saw them standing next to Seth. I just watched as Jasper comforted Alice and as I saw everyone do the same as them, I wondered what everyone knew that I didn't. Seth's lips touched my left temple and it made me shiver.

"Everything will be ok," he said in my ear as if I knew what he was talking about. To me this was confusing, but apparently to everyone else it was something bad…

***

When we got back to the Cullen household I pondered about what was going to happen tomorrow. And then when I realized that I was the only one upstairs while the rest of them were downstairs in the living room I immediately ran out of the spare room and flew down the staircase. They all chatted in quick, low voices and I couldn't understand any of them, which was probably the point, but since this was probably about tomorrow and about me then I deserved to know. I cleared my throat rather loudly and all of their eyes were suddenly on my face. The wolves stood on one side of the room while the vampires stood on the other and in the middle was a little open space that I figured I would use to make my announcement. I slowly walked towards the middle of the room and when I stopped I raised my chin up to speak.

"You all know that this has to be our decision, right? I mean it has to be partially my decision too," I looked at all of their faces and each of them nodded without saying a word, "Ok, well," I paused, "Will someone tell me what we have to choose between?" I narrowed my eyes as all of their heads suddenly slumped down towards the floor.

"Ness," I heard Seth's voice call from the left of me and when I saw his tall, muscular body make its way through the crowd I smiled, but he didn't. He stood right beside me and looked around the room, "I'll explain it to her…she deserves to know," he said, making me furrow my eyebrows.

He looked me in the eyes and smiled a fake smile. Then he lead me towards the door and I looked back once, seeing fear in each of their eyes. He closed the door behind us and stared off into the dark forest for a second.

"Ok, what's going on, Seth? You're acting so weird right now."

He groaned and turned around, grabbing my arms with his firm hands that were shaking a little bit, "They want to change you Vanessa! How could I sit here and act like nothing's wrong when they want to take your life away from you?!" he shouted in a harsh tone that I never heard before and it…frightened me.

"So I'll tell them I don't want to be a part of the Volturi, big deal!" I screamed back at him, but he didn't react to it at all, I don't even think he was paying attention to me at this point.

"It is a big deal!" his hands were shaking more and more every time he screamed at me.

"Why?" I asked, calmly and knowing that screaming wouldn't help this situation.

He took one big sigh and let go of me, turning around again and staring up at the full moon that hung in the sky. There was a long moment of silence and I walked up to him and grabbed his hand, which was hotter than it's ever been before.

"Seth," I breathed, "This is bad isn't it?"

He hesitantly nodded, but kept his eyes forward.

"How bad?" I asked, but he didn't respond, "Tell me!" I demanded now.

He shut his eyes for a slight second and then finally looked at me, "If you refuse to be changed and become one of them then…" he paused, "They'll want to fight us."

I felt my world start to crash down when he said those words, my legs started wobbling and my chest started hurting, but I had to stay strong, for all of them. So, I shook my head and stood right in front of him, "Then I'll change," I said as confidently and normally as I could right now.

"No," he let go of my hand and put each of his palms on my cheeks, "You won't."

"Why not? Isn't it better to lose one life instead of I don't know two or three?" I kept my eyes on him as I said this, trying to sound strong, but on the inside I was scared, really scared, "If saving you means me having to become one of them, then you better believe that I'll do it because I love you," he shuddered.

"Don't worry about me."

"Why can't I?! Just because I'm human and probably couldn't do anything to save you if one of them…tried to hurt you does not mean I can't worry about you! If this decision can save one of us then I sure as hell am not going to refuse the offer!" I think my words hurt him, but I needed to do this. I needed to save him because this was the only way I could. And then I could save Jasper too. It would be easier if I was just changed because then someone wouldn't have to lose their life.

I knew he wanted me to just choose the other option, but I wasn't going to budge just yet because it was a stupid choice and the other one would be so much easier for everyone…except for me…but I couldn't let that show. He sighed and reeled me in closer to him.

"I don't want to risk losing you, Seth," I whispered and listened to his heart thump inside of his chest. He kissed my hair and then put his cheek on the top of my head.

"I don't want to lose you either, Ness. Do you know how much it'll hurt me to know that you're one of…them," I felt him cringe under my arms, "Not to mention how much it'll hurt you during the transformation."

I never thought about the pain, but Jasper told me it was the most excruciating thing he's ever been through. It was like you were being burned alive he told me. That fact made me want to say no, but then again I could get through it…

"The transformation pain I can handle, but the pain of ever losing you would be unbearable, so I guess we're back to square one on this situation."

He inhaled deeply and slowly exhaled, "Everyone else has already decided, they won't let the Volturi change you and we've prepared for the battle. And I'm ready for this…knowing that you're who I'm fighting for just makes me want to try harder," as if that was supposed to make me feel better. They were all fighting because of me and they could get killed…because of me.

So I knew at this point I wouldn't be able to change their decision. I could explain to them why I thought this was a bad idea, but who knows what they will say. All I can do is try, try to persuade them and try to stay calm about this whole situation…but who am I kidding my middle name is panic…

**there it is!!!**

**the next chapter will be up as soon as i can process my ideas lol **

**REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW!  
**


	25. 23 One Point for the Vampires

**ok soo i love this chapter a lot haha the ending was an idea that popped into my head while i was listening to my iPod one day and yeah i hope you like it**

**we're getting closer and closer to the big battle. I think it'll be not the next chapter but the chapter after that...if that makes any sense**

**ummm...i have a song that i think fits perfectly with this chapter/ the next one**

**its called I'll Follow You Into The Dark by Death Cab for Cutie **

**seriously i was listening to it non-stop while typing up this chapter haha. I suggest while you read the beginning you listen to that song cause it really sets the tone/mood for it  
**

**so enjoy! and don't forget to review! ;]  
**

Chapter 23

One Point for the Vampires

_There are two primary choices in life; to accept conditions as they exist,_

_Or accept the responsibility for changing them_

As soon as I got back into the house I ran upstairs to think for a moment, not saying a word to anyone. When I reached the spare room me and Seth were staying in I quietly closed to door behind me and started pacing back and forth.

So basically everyone down there wanted to fight, but little, stupid, pathetic me wanted to be changed instead. The only reason why I want to be changed is because I was afraid that one of them might lose their life because I had to be a freak that's 'special.'

I scoffed at that word. I'd give anything for things to just go back to normal, then all of them wouldn't have to worry about the fact that tonight might be the last night they spend here in this house on this earth with the people they love most. I feel so guilty right now!

"UGH!" I groaned and slammed my body down onto the soft mattress, staring up at the ceiling while I tried to think about some good things that might come out of this…I got nothing…

I could try to persuade people into thinking my idea was the right choice, but they knew better than to listen to a human who barely even knew what being a vampire meant. And that was the truth, I didn't know much about it, but I could adjust to the lifestyle of drinking blood, only animal blood of course though because the thought of killing a human made me cringe.

Suddenly Chase's voice started ringing in my ear, I waited for it to get clearer and when it finally did I understood what he was telling me, "Look at the desk next to you," he said.

I picked my face up and slightly looked over at the piece of furniture he told me to look at and lying on it was…my iPod? I sat up and took it in my hands feeling that it was really cold. Somehow, Chase must've gotten it for me and it wasn't too long ago I figured from how cold it was.

"How's this gonna help?" I asked out loud as if he were in the room with me.

"Don't worry about tomorrow," I raised one eyebrow at his words, "Have fun," his voice started to fade away and when I could no longer hear it I sighed in confusion. He could never just give me a straightforward explanation, he always had to keep me guessing and it annoyed me to no extent.

So I decided that I shouldn't be bitter and stay up in this room all night, I should tell people what I think and believe and include my iPod somehow to make tonight a good night instead of a bad one. The only thing that made sense to me as to why he would give me my iPod out of every other device in the world was because people can connect through music in a positive way and I guess Chase wanted me to lift all of their spirits by using this.

I slowly walked down the staircase and thought about how I would explain my side to them. Even though it probably wouldn't do anything to change their minds, I still had to try. I put my iPod inside my pocket and started twiddling my thumbs, taking deep breaths as I reached the bottom of the stairs. They were all silent for some strange reason. And not one of them bothered to look at me, except for Seth. I smiled when his eyes met mine and part of me wanted to cry and break down right here and now, but other parts made me compose myself so I could stay strong. He was by my side taking my hand in his the minute, no, the second my feet touched the tiled floor.

"Feeling better?" he whispered while I kept my eyes on the depressed bunch of people in the living room.

"Sort of," I quickly glanced up at him, "What's wrong with everyone?" I asked.

He sighed and pulled me in close to his chest. I wrapped my arms around his waist and he started kissing my hair multiple times, "Everyone's just, you know, saying a possible goodbye."

I shut my eyes tight so that tears wouldn't come out and for once they listened to my refusal, but apparently my voice didn't, "Why does this have to happen to us?" my voice shook after every single syllable.

"Shh," he cooed in my ear which made me calm down a bit, "Nothing's gonna harm you."

I managed to open my eyes and smile, "Not while I'm around," I said, stealing a classic Sweeney Todd line and attempting to lighten up the tension in the air. He obviously didn't get it by the crazy look he gave me and I rolled my eyes, "I'm forcing you to watch all of my favorite musicals with me once this is over."

He chuckled, "Deal," and his lips brushed up against my skin making me lose focus on my real reason for being down here right now.

I lifted my head off of his chest and stared into his eyes, "I need to say something to everyone."

He groaned, "Please tell me it doesn't include the words Volturi and change."

I slowly bobbed my head up and down, "I don't care, I need to tell them why I think this is wrong, even if it won't change their minds." He was quiet for a moment, but then he let out a big sigh and nodded his head in approval which made me smile and I reached up on my toes and kissed him on the lips, "I love you, so much."

"Ditto," he half smiled.

Both of us walked into the living room, hand in hand, and there was a big open space between the wolves and the vampires again. So instead of me standing in the middle alone Seth stood with me. I cleared my throat really loudly so everyone could hear and all of their eyes went on me with worry in each and every one of them.

"Ok, so," I took one deep breath, "I know that you've all decided to fight tomorrow instead of me being changed," I saw a couple of people flinch out of the corner of my eye, "But I would just like to say that to me, it would be easier if I…became one of them," Jasper opened his mouth to speak, but I held up my hand directing him to shut his mouth, "I care about each and every one of you and if one of you got hurt because of me then…I wouldn't want to have to live with the fact that I was the reason for it," I looked up at Seth for a second and he gave me an encouraging smile even though he was totally against what I was saying right now, "So, please just listen to me when I say why risk your lives when I'm the reason why they're coming back tomorrow. Just let them change me and save yourselves."

I looked around the room and tried to keep it together as I stood there, but I started to feel my eyes water. I shut my eyes to control the tears, but then I felt the feeling in the air change, I was calm.

"You don't want to change," Jasper whispered from where he was sitting, "And we all consider you a part of our family and families look out for each other and do what's best for each other. So, I think I stand for all of us when I say I'm willing to do anything for you if it means that I get to see you for another day."

I felt Seth's warm hands rubbing my arm and I slowly opened each of my eyes and looked at Jasper, "Am I really worth protecting though?"

"Definitely," he said and everyone else nodded in agreement.

"You know I'll protect you any day," Seth kissed my cheek.

"Well…" I shook my head, "Then just let me say this," my eyes scanned each of the faces in the room, Leah's, Jacob's, Tanya's, Alice's, and every other mythical creature in the room, "I love all of you," I stated confidently, "And I mean that because you're the family I never had," I saw a couple people smile, "Esme and Carlisle, if you were my biological parents then I'm pretty sure I would be the happiest teenager in the world right now, so thank you for being there for me when I lost faith in my parents," I squeezed Seth's hand for a second, "Alice, Rosalie, Bella, and Renesmee, thank you for being the sister's I've always wanted," then I turned to Emmett and grinned, "Em, even though you suck at making bets, you're like my big brother," I put my hand on my necklace, "Thanks for filling the holes that formed when my brother died," my big speech made me want to cry, but I couldn't, I knew that I had to be strong, "Jacob, Leah, and all the rest of you Quileutes, some of you I got to know really well and some I haven't, but each of you mean so much to me, especially you Leah, don't ever think you're not good enough because you are so unique and special, I wish I was more like you," She chuckled, "But back to the point, thanks guys and Leah," I winked at them and then turned to the other vampires, "And thank all of you for willingly coming here and giving me a chance, I know I'm nothing to brag about, but you all still stand here and put up with this drama that I've caused," Then my feet turned towards one of the most important people to me here, probably the second most important person, "Jazz, you're my best friend, and you always find a way to make me feel better without using your gift, I mean we put Tom and Jerry to shame," us two laughed while the rest of the people in the room looked at us like we were completely out of our minds, "But on a more serious note, I'm glad that you almost tried to kill me that one day in the woods because then I probably would've never have gotten to know you, thank you for being completely awesome," I smiled and then turned to Seth, the one at the top of the most important people to me list.

I put my arms around his neck and looked him straight in the eyes and he did the same, "Seth," I said quietly, "I love you, you're amazing to me and…perfect. I could get into all of this mushy crap right now, but I'm not like that so let me just say this. Seth, you rock my world, you are my other half, my reason for living, my overprotective werewolf, and my…my…" I was speaking so quickly that I realized I had said so many mushy things, oh well he can live with one more, "My everything," at that moment, I saw a burning passion in his eyes that made me want him so much. So instead of paying attention to the people in the room I grabbed his shirt and tugged him forward, "Kick some ass out there tomorrow," then I smacked our lips together and kept them there for a good three or four minutes before one of the wolves groaned from behind us and way too deep into the kiss I didn't listen, but he did and he pulled away.

Our foreheads were touching now and we were just standing there in a moment while everyone else was trying to mind their own business, "I'll go to the ends of the earth for you," his warm breath brushed against my skin.

Someone's loud sigh interrupted our stare, making me turn my head to see who it was. I saw that they were all looking sad again and I remember my trusty iPod I still had in my pocket. So for a moment I thought of an idea that would make everyone get their minds off of what was to come and just live in the moment. And then, bam, BRAINBLAST!

"A game," I mumbled to myself.

"What?" Seth let go of my waist.

"Chase told me to have fun and not worry about tomorrow," I was talking to myself and completely shutting out everyone else standing in the room, "So, why not play a game that everyone will enjoy," a huge grin appeared on my face and before I knew it I was opening my mouth to speak again, "Ok, so instead of worrying about what's going to happen to everyone tomorrow, I have an idea," I bit my lip while everyone looked at me with curious eyes, "Let's play a game."

A few chuckled while other's just looked at me like I was going insane, "What's the game?" a more than enthusiastic Emmett shouted from behind me and I turned around towards him holding up my iPod.

"Do you possibly have iPod speakers Emmett?" I asked and before I knew it he was back with a pair of speakers in his hands. I took them out of his hands and plugged them into the outlet, "Ok, so this game's called guess the name of that song or artist or whatever you want to call it."

"I like where you're going with this," Edward smiled and I thanked him in my mind.

"How do you play?" Embry asked.

"It's simple, I just pick a song from my playlist and you guys have to guess what song it is. We'll have teams. So, ummm…how about…werewolves versus vampires?"

Before I could even finish my question the guys were all high fiving each other like idiots while the girls just smiled in agreement. Seth took his place by the rest of the pack and left me in the middle.

"Rules!" I shouted and some people groaned, "Edward and Alice you can't play because that's unfair to the wolves!"

Alice groaned like a child while Edward just nodded, "I can't see anything anyways!" Alice yelled.

"So what maybe you'll magically see something," I muttered, "And you have to raise your hand and make a buzzing noise in order to answer so there's no chaos."

"Do we get a prize?!" I heard a low, husky voice ask and it made me laugh.

"Umm…I don't know," I replied, "The team with the most points gets…to make the opposing team do whatever you want them to do!" I started giggling to myself at the stupid prize I came up with in less than two seconds.

I searched my iPod for a song that I could use first, "Ok," I said after I found a good one and then I pressed play.

_I got a lot to say to you, _

_yeah I got a lot to say_

_I notice your eyes are always clear to me_

_Keeping me here it makes no sense at all_

_They tapped over your mouth-_

"EEEEHHHH!" I heard Embry obnoxiously scream and I pointed to him, "Crushcrushcrush by Paramore!"

"Correct," I approved.

The wolves rejoiced while Emmett threw a hissy fit and he was the only vampire to react so childish about it. I wondered how I could keep track of the scores…

"Here," Edward handed me a piece of paper and a pen and I wrote on one side wolves and the other vampires, making a dashed mark that indicated a point on the wolves side.

"Ok, next song," I smiled and searched my playlist again and when I found a song I pressed play and the music started to fill the room.

_Oh, well imagine_

_As I'm pacing the pews in a church corridor _

_And I can't help but to hear _

_No, I can't help but to hear an exchanging of words-_

"EEEHHH!!!" Rosalie, out of all people, surprised me when she actually raised her hand and made a buzzing noise on top of that. I pointed to her, "I write sins not tragedies by Panic at the Disco!" she shouted.

"One point for the vampires."

I made a dashed mark on the vampires' side and then the game continued on for about an hour. Everyone actually seemed to be having a good time and it really looked like they were all getting their minds off of the fact that tomorrow they would have to fight. So, after all that, I didn't think that I would get upset about tomorrow. I mean maybe I wouldn't be such a worry wart and think about this every two seconds…

"We have a tie!" I shouted after thirty points worth of our game, "The next team to get this song right wins the prize of making the opposing team do whatever you want them to do," some people scoffed from beside me while everyone else laughed at my idiotic prize.

I quickly picked out the last song and each and every one of them anticipated my choice. It was a pretty good song, but I also didn't know if people knew what it was so I chose it.

It started out with a guitar solo and then the lyrics came on…

_Never think  
What's in your heart  
What's in our home  
That's all I want_

_You'll learn to hate me  
But you still call me baby  
Oh Lord  
Just call me by my name_

I looked around the room to see if anyone recognized it, but so far they were all blank.

"Oh, come on! Even I know this song!" Edward shouted out loud and started laughing.

_And, save your soul  
save your soul  
Before you're too far gone  
Before nothing can be done_

"Anyone?" I said.

They all were looking down at the floor deep in thought until I finally saw a pale hand shoot up. It was Jasper. I picked on him and everyone else stared at him.

"Never Think by….Robert Pattinson?" he guessed.

I stood there for a couple of seconds, letting the suspense run through a room a little bit and then I took one big breath of air and said, "Vampires win!"

The wolves grimaced and started cussing to themselves while the vampires rejoiced. I just had to laugh at them because of their reaction to this game. It made me happy to know that I could cheer each of them up on this night.

"What do you plan to do to us?" the wolves asked, interrupting my thoughts.

All of the vampires raised their eyebrows in a suspicious way and I grinned from the looks on the Quileutes faces.

"I think I better stay out of this…" and then I walked out of the room and up the stairs towards the spare room I would be staying in for this night that seemed endless...

**THANKS FOR READING! LOL**


	26. 24 Similar, Yet Different

**i'm sorry that i didn't update sooner!! i've just been stressed out with school and stuff!!**

**but thankfully it's spring break for me now! woot woot!**

**this chapter was supposed to be longer, but then i figured that i could end it where i did. I hope you like the Jasper/Alice fluff. Idk i hope i portrayed their relationship well...**

**and i hope you like everything i did with this chapter.  
**

Chapter 24

Similar, Yet Different

I sat up against the door in the spare room, thinking about time. I've wasted so much of it and right now I regret every minute I wasted on making stupid decisions. All of them were downstairs finishing up the game that we were playing earlier. I tried to drown out the constant 'No's' I heard from the living room by covering my ears, but even that didn't work.

Today had to be one of the most outstretched days I've ever lived through. But I shouldn't complain since it could be the last night I ever see one of them.

"Savor the last moments you have with them stupid," I told myself, "Don't sit up here and sulk."

I was thinking out loud basically. My head was saying one thing while my heart was telling me another. I hate when that happens. At this point I was listening to neither of them and just followed my gut feeling which told me to sit here and sort things through so I wouldn't get all emotional when they came up here.

I pulled my legs in close to my chest and rested my head on my knees. Tomorrow will be fine…everything will work out for the best. The Cullens are experienced with fighting and the Quileutes are strong. So there's nothing to worry about. I mean really I'm overreacting…

I heard a bang come from outside and I gasped, thinking it was one of them coming to take me. But then a flash of lightning shot through the sky.

I shook my head and laid my head down again, just waiting for this to be over and waiting for the sun to rise again, but no, I have to savor the black night. It could be my last. I could be changed if one of them got a hold of me.

"Why the hell are you sitting up here when you might not ever see one of them again?!" I shouted at myself now.

Tears started to roll down my cheeks and I tried to make them stop, but they kept coming. I'm such an emotional mess. Where's Jasper when you need him?

"He's downstairs having fun while you're up here worrying!" why I'm still talking to myself I don't know. I guess I was just trying to knock some sense into me.

My head was spinning at this point. Between what my head, my heart, and my gut, were telling me I got even more confused than before. I don't want to have to say goodbye to any of them. I don't want to worry about these things; I just want to be happy.

"You're selfish," I scoffed.

Before I knew it someone was knocking on the door and for a minute I ignored it, but then they knocked again and I started to get annoyed so I moved out of the way of the door and yelled, "It's open."

I stared down at the floor as I saw the light from the hallway shine on the rug. Laughter was coming from downstairs and I wished that I could be happy. The door quickly closed and whoever it was sat down on the floor next to me, but didn't touch me.

"You're an emotional mess," Jasper said in a low voice.

"I know," I replied, but didn't make any movement; I just kept my eyes on the clean rug. He made my worry turn into happiness, but it quickly went away. I saw his head shake from side to side, "What's wrong?" I asked in a monotone.

"It's harder for me to make you feel calm, that's all."

I raised one eyebrow, "I think I know why," my eyes went to the window and even though I couldn't see him I knew he was there somewhere, watching over me.

I felt Jasper's cold hand touch the top of mine and then our palms were touching until our fingers were finally intertwined with each other. It made me shiver a little.

"You don't need to worry about us," his cool breath brushed up against my cheek and I realized how close his face really was to mine.

"I don't have to, but it's just natural for me to worry about people I care about," I looked over at him and then I rested my head on his shoulder, "Why does it have to be this way? I mean it seems like we just became friends and now we'll possibly never see each other again."

His grip on my hand got firmer, but then he took one deep breath and loosened it, "We will see each other again, I'm certain of it," he rested his cheek on the top of my head.

"But you told me you can't promise me that you'll stay safe because you don't know what will happen to you," I took in his scent and didn't mind the cold much anymore.

"Because I don't know if I'll get hurt doesn't mean that I don't know what will happen to you. I know you will live and I'll make sure of that."

I started to feel the tears coming again and now I just wanted Chase to go away so that Jasper could calm me down, "So what about you, Jasper?"

He paused for a minute, "I'll try my best and give it my all."

"Then we might not see each other again," I thought he would start to get annoyed with me and just leave at that point, but he didn't. He stayed there and let me cry and let me act like a hormonal teenager.

We sat there for a moment in silence, and then he suddenly moved in front of me and sat on his knees, putting both of his hands on each of my cheeks and looking me in the eyes, "Don't cry," he soothingly said to me, "No tears should be shed because of this."

"Why not, Jazz? You're my best friend and how do you think it will feel if I lost you? Do you really think I won't feel terrible about this whole thing if you…died? The reason why this is happening is because of me and I can't stop thinking about how guilty I'll feel if one of you got killed," I started to lose control and a whole river's worth of tears poured out of my eyes.

Jasper held me close to him and beside the fact that I was freezing, it felt right. I felt something go through me, something that knocked some sense into me.

"You are way too amazing to feel at fault for this," he whispered in my ear.

"Right, cause that's believable," my voice was shaking now.

"You don't give yourself enough credit, Vanessa."

I shook my head, "I don't deserve any credit. I'm just an annoying human who can't keep out of trouble."

He chuckled, "You're right about that. I mean you're sitting here in a room, hugging a vampire, talk about trouble."

Beside the fact that this was true I smiled, "But I know you would never hurt me."

"I don't know, you do smell pretty delicious right now."

I suddenly pulled away from him, "You really suck, you know that? You just ruined the little moment we were having," I sarcastically rolled my eyes.

"Oh I'm so sorry that I was stating a fact," he smiled.

We both started to laugh and I wiped my cheeks dry. Talk about mood swings, I think I've been having them all day today. I seriously feel bipolar.

"You should get back to Alice," I didn't realize that our hands were still intertwined until I felt his grip suddenly get tighter again.

"And you should get some sleep," he replied with his cute smile again.

I looked into his topaz eyes and my heart started beating faster and faster, "Umm…I'll see you later then," I said.

He looked at me with his beautiful eyes and both of us started to fall into a trance. I felt something different run through me and before I knew it my face started to move closer to his and he did the same thing. Our lips were just about to touch when-

"Vanessa!" someone shouted from outside of the room and it made me jump. It sounded like Seth. I immediately stood up and ran my fingers through my hair once, keeping my eyes off of him.

"I'm sorry," he said lowly.

"What just happened?" I looked at the window as I said this.

"I…don't know…" He stood up and headed for the door.

"Wait," I made him stop dead in his tracks and he slightly turned his head my way, "Please don't let this ruin our friendship. I mean, I don't know what that was, but-,"

"Nothing's changed," he glanced over his shoulder at me, "You're still going to be my friend even if we just almost…you know."

I nodded awkwardly, "I'll still be Jerry if you'll still be Tom."

He chuckled, "Deal," and with that he opened the door.

"You'll always hold a place in my heart, Jazz," I whispered to him.

He turned around, smiled, and then he quickly left, leaving me alone in the room, but not for long. Soon after Seth appeared in the doorway with a huge grin on his face. It made me feel terrible about what just happened, but really nothing did happen. It was just some misunderstanding…

"Hey," he put his warm arms around my waist and I slowly adjusted to the warmth. I heard him take in a deep breath, "You smell like a bloodsucker," he said.

I shut my eyes for a second. I needed to change the subject somehow because I was way too paranoid about this whole thing. I mean we didn't even kiss so there's nothing wrong!

"What did the vampires make you guys do?" I asked as I turned to face him. His lips were shining in the moonlight and I furrowed my eyebrows.

"Umm…" was all he said and I brought my finger up to touch his lips and when I could tell that he was wearing lip gloss I started to laugh uncontrollably. He started to blush, but I just couldn't hold in my laughter at this point.

"They…made you…wear…make up?!" I could barely even get the words out because I was laughing so hard.

He picked me up off of the floor and started to twirl me around which I hated to do and he knew that.

"Come on, Seth, stop!" I shouted as I kept laughing, but I knew he wasn't going to stop unless I stopped laughing, "Ok, ok I'm done!"

He put me down again and kissed my neck multiple times. I started coughing so that I could hide my laughter from him, but he knew what I was doing so he only brought his now strawberry flavored lips to mine and kissed me passionately, making my laughter turn into a smile and I started to melt in his arms. When he pulled away it only left me wanting him more.

"Well I think this is the first time I've ever kissed you and your lips tasted like a fruit," I giggled.

"Why do you like the taste of strawberries," he growled.

"I think I do," I smiled as he pulled me up into his arms and moved towards the bed. When he put me down I could see eye shadow on his russet colored eye lids, "But I really think the eye shadow is just a little scary for my taste."

He grinned and quickly hurried into the bathroom. While I waited I thought about how much I loved him and how it couldn't work between me and Jasper even though I might have stronger feelings for him than I suspected to have. I mean he has Alice and I have Seth. It should stay that way; I just hope he thinks so too.

Before I knew it Seth was back in the room and he walked over to the bed, placing himself gently on top of me. He immediately started to kiss me wherever he possibly could and I wrapped my arms around his neck. When his lips finally met mine I didn't want them to ever be apart again because this could be our last peaceful night. I might have to possibly say goodbye to him.

I started to deepen the kiss after I had that thought. But I immediately put it out of my mind for the time being so that it wouldn't ruin this moment we were having right now. He kissed me with as much love and passion that I felt he could give and it was enough for me. But then, he pulled away.

"Please don't leave me tonight, stay," I put both of my hands on his warm cheeks.

"I will, especially tonight," he pecked me on the lips and then he kissed my forehead, "It's late though, you should get some sleep," his warm breath beat against my skin.

"I don't want to though," I complained like a little kid.

"Please sleep, for me," he kissed both of my eye lids, forcing them to close and then he rolled over onto the bed and laid next to me.

I immediately nestled myself in his chest and curled up into a ball right next to him, "You sleep too," I laid my head on his chest.

"I will," he played with my hair for a moment and then he kissed the top of my head, "Goodnight; I'll always love you no matter what happens."

I flinched, "I love you too," I opened my eyes and stared at his shirt, "Be careful tomorrow," I whispered lowly.

"You know I will be," he draped his arm over my waist and I closed my eyes once again.

At that moment I knew that he and I couldn't be apart. The way I felt around him was different than the way I felt around Jasper. It overpowered Jasper and my relationship.

And then I started to feel myself doze off into a deep sleep and soon enough I started to dream…

**Jasper's POV**

I held Alice in my arms while she cried dry sobs. She was scared and I knew that. I was even scared. Not even she, the psychic of the family, could predict what was going to happen.

"Jazz," she sobbed, knocking me out of my trance, "I wish this didn't have to happen to us. I love you so much I just don't want to risk losing you."

I kissed the top of her delicate head and calmed her down so that she wouldn't feel scared anymore, "I won't let anything happen to you," I whispered in her tiny ear and it immediately sent flashbacks into my mind. I had said the same thing to Vanessa, not too long before I almost…

I forced the memories to the back of my mind and tried to focus on Alice now. I loved her more than anything, I just couldn't feel this way about Vanessa. It would never work out, not in a million years would it work out. Seth imprinted on her and I am fully committed to Alice, that's it and that's how it should be.

"I wish I could sleep," she said, making me come back into reality, "I wish I could cry and I wish I could have a child with you."

Not only did this make me feel worse about everything, it just felt like someone tore me apart and burned the pieces. I didn't know what to say to that. She just confessed to me that she wanted things to be different, she wanted to be human and that was probably the one thing I couldn't give her. I wanted to give her the whole world and I probably could give her ninety nine point nine percent of the world except for that. Humanity.

"You know if I could grant those wishes than I would," I held her tight against my chest.

"But you can't," she rested her head on my shoulder, no longer crying because I had calmed her down a bit.

"I'm sorry," was all I could say at this point. I was speechless.

We sat there for a couple of minutes in silence. I rubbed her back with my hand and we both just listened to the sounds of the night.

"Jasper," she faintly whispered.

"Yes, my little pixie."

I heard a low chuckle come out of her mouth. It was the most beautiful thing I've ever heard in my entire existence.

"I love you," she turned her head to face mine and radiantly smiled at me. This was the Alice I loved and adored.

"As do I," I replied, "And don't worry about tomorrow."

She shook her head, "I won't, just be careful tomorrow," she pecked my lips and continued to rest on my chest.

"You know I will be," I placed my hand on top of hers and at that moment I realized that my love for her overpowered my feelings for Vanessa. And I'm glad that I realized this before I let myself fall in too deep for Vanessa.

I saw the door slowly start to open, letting the light shine into the room and I sighed that our moment was being ruined. I could tell who it was by the vibes I got off of him. And I immediately knew what Carlisle wanted. So I kissed Alice's left temple and both of us started to stand up.

"It's time to hunt," Carlisle grinned his calm grin and I took Alice's hand in mine, not ever wanting to let go of it.

She looked up at me and squeezed my hand for a quick second. I knew from the start that she was my one and only and to think that tomorrow could possibly be…no I can't think of things that way. As much as it bugged me not knowing what the future held, I couldn't bring myself to think of what the outcome might be. Alice could be left unhappy or I could be left unhappy. Either way I knew something was going to make someone…unhappy.

**Well?? **

**Tell me if you noticed the similarities between what Jasper/Alice say to each other and what Seth/Vanessa say to each other *wink wink***

**if not then PM me!!!! **

**WOO SPRING BREAK AND THEN MY BIRTHDAY!!!! **

**i'm in a very good mood if you haven't noticed by now hehe  
**


	27. 25 Let's Get this Day Over With

**So i know this is extremely short, but this is just a sort of filler chapter. I mean Jasper's POV does mean a lot, but i'm not saying the reasons why. **

**Oh and also i want to ask a favor of all of you. Umm...in your review for this chapter can you tell me your reasons for why you like this story? lol cause i try and read over what i've written and i never like it...so it's like i'm writing this for your enjoyment instead of mine cause i think i suck at writing...idk just explain it in your review!! =]  
**

Chapter 25

Let's Get this Day Over With

**Seth's POV**

I watched as Vanessa slept calmly in my arms. She wanted me to sleep, but I just couldn't. There was so much for me to think about. Like the fact that I may never be able to kiss her goodnight again. I know that I shouldn't be having those thoughts right now, but there was nothing stopping the fear I felt. I could just break down about this now while she was asleep and still be the Seth she wants to cry to in the morning. Or the Seth she wants to say goodbye too…

I shuddered. God, I really don't want to say goodbye to her, ever. She started to churn from underneath my arms and I wiped my cheeks dry from the tears that decided to make an appearance. I watched as a smile appeared on her dreamy face and silently chuckled to myself. I'm the luckiest guy in the world.

A knock on the door interrupted my thoughts and I kept my eyes on Vanessa. I heard the door slowly open and I glanced over my shoulder only to see Jasper standing in the doorway.

"You should eat something," he said.

I rolled my eyes and turned my attention back to Vanessa. My fingers trailed along her pink cheeks and I took a deep breath. I was hungry, but I didn't want to leave her.

"I don't need to eat," I lied and obviously he noticed because he walked over to the bed and stood there staring down at Vanessa as she slept.

My stomach started to make noises and I cursed to myself. Of course that had to happen now. I gently planted a kiss on top of Vanessa's forehead and looked at Jasper one more time.

"Can you grab that blanket over there," I nodded towards the direction of the blanket and he quickly grabbed it and handed it to me.

I regrettably got up from the bed and wrapped the blanket around her so that she wouldn't feel cold.

"The other wolves are already eating in the kitchen," Jasper told me, with his eyes glued to Vanessa.

"I'll be right back, make sure she sleeps."

I saw him nod and then I headed out of the room and flew down the stairs…

**Jasper's POV**

After Seth left the room I sat down next to the bed and folded my hands in my lap. She looked so peaceful as she slept. I couldn't keep my eyes off of her and that wasn't in a bad way. Suddenly she started turning onto her side and her eyelids were now closed in a squinted way.

"Don't leave me," she sleepily said.

I looked down at my hands. I wish I knew what was going to happen to everyone tomorrow. I wanted to know my fate and Alice's fate and Vanessa's fate. I want to be able to say that everything is going to be ok and actually mean it.

I heard movement from outside of the window, but I kept my eyes on Vanessa. They breathed heavily in and out and their scent suddenly became familiar to me.

"You know what's going to happen tomorrow don't you?" I asked the empty air even though I knew that this Chase character could hear me from the outside. I got up from where I was sitting and for the first time I was face to face with this mysterious vampire. He stared at me, but didn't say anything.

"You know what's going to happen to me and to Vanessa and to Alice and yet you stand here silent," I spoke quietly so that I wouldn't wake Vanessa. But I kept my tone harsh so that he would know that I was frustrated.

"I can only tell you this; you're going to save both of them. They won't be harmed because you will protect them," he smiled at me.

It was a relief to know that, but I still wanted to know one more thing, "Tell me what's going to happen to me," I demanded to know. I wanted him to give me a straightforward response instead of just more questions that I would have to answer for myself.

He nodded, "If you wish to save yourself then you will survive…but your fate is in your own hands. It's your choice."

I narrowed my eyes at him and immediately I knew. I had decided this a long time ago. I decided what my own fate would be and I chose for myself. And I no longer had any more questions because it was clear. To me it was clear, but no one else would understand…

**Vanessa's POV**

I felt myself starting to wake up. Slowly I opened up my eyes and when I saw Seth sleeping peacefully next to me I smiled. I propped myself up onto my elbows and pecked him on the lips. When I saw a wide grin appear on his face I giggled.

"Wake up sleepy head," I rested my chin on his chest and he yawned loudly.

"It's morning already?" he asked groggily.

"Unfortunately," I replied with a sigh, "I wish it wasn't this morning."

He picked his head up and pressed our foreheads together, "We will make it through this day."

I immediately placed myself on top of him and forced our lips together, tangling my fingers into his hair. He deepened the kiss and with no intentions of stopping I wrapped my legs around his torso. He took a breath of air and looked at me in confusion.

"What are you doing?" he asked, breathing heavily.

"Making our last moments memorable."

He put both of his hands on either sides of my cheeks, "There's time for this, but this just isn't the time nor the place. We are both going to make it out alive, you and me can enjoy this without being rushed," he placed a bunch of kisses on my lips and I sighed.

"But I love you more than anything else in this world, I would never consider doing this with anyone else but you," I laid my head down onto his chest.

"You have a whole life ahead of you Vanessa, believe me I wouldn't consider ever doing it with someone other than you. You mean everything to me, I just want to make it more enjoyable for you."

"And you think I wouldn't enjoy it now?" I rested my head on his chest and he started to play with my hair.

"Wait," was all he said and then he went silent. We sat there just enjoying this moment we had with each other. I didn't want to have to say a potential goodbye to anyone. Especially Jasper. To think that today could be someone's last, made me cringe. I didn't want to have to face this fear that was making me feel this way, but then again it would be better if I just faced it. The Volturi were expecting me to answer and I was going to say no. Then they would fight and I would sit there helpless.

I felt tears starting to come out of my eyes and I tried to suck them back in, but they just kept coming. Seth immediately sat up and pulled me into a tight embrace. I buried my head under his arm and he cooed in my ear as I cried.

"I love you," he whispered.

"I love you too," I replied, but I don't think he understood what I was saying because I was crying too much to make it sound like a sentence.

"God, Vanessa don't cry, please don't," he pleaded in a voice that I didn't want to refuse to, but I just couldn't control the sobs coming out of my mouth and the tears rolling down my cheeks, "We will make it through this together, side by side. I will keep you out of harm's way," he started to rock me in his lap.

"Bu-But I feel so helpless, I just wish I could say the same to you," I saw that I was starting to stain his t-shirt so I tried to control myself, but I was already crying too hard for me to control.

"You are not helpless don't ever say that."

I shook my head from side to side, "I don't want to do this, I don't want to have to say goodbye to anyone."

"But who says it has to be goodbye?" he kissed the top of my head.

I sighed, "I don't know…I guess you're right…"

He chuckled, "Be happy, everything will be ok."

I thought about his last words and really wanted to tell him that he was right again, but for some reason I just couldn't. It was hard to be happy at a time like this. I just wanted for things to be calm and I wanted this to all just go away. But all I could say now is let's get this day over with.


	28. 26 A Feeling

**alright so i really got into writing this chapter and i really really love the way it turned out. I actually stayed up until 1:30 in the morning to finish it cause i was so into it haha XD**

**well i hope you enjoy this and please please review!!! next chapter will be the battle! ahh! i'm excited!  
**

Chapter 26

A Feeling

So this was it. Today would decide our fate. My fate, Seth's fate, and Jasper's fate. Seth and I headed down the stairs and met everyone else in the living room. Their faces looked gloomy, it resembled the clouds that covered Forks today. As the two of us sat down, Seth opened his mouth to speak.

"What's the plan?" he asked Carlisle.

Carlisle stood up to speak to all of us instead of just Seth, "We will fight them off," he turned towards me, "Your only job is to tell them that you refuse to be changed if our assumptions are correct then they will fight. They won't stop for anything to get to you, so Seth," he looked at him, "You must take Vanessa as far away as you can get while we hold them off. Now I'm certain that one or two of them might follow you so Leah you go with him."

Leah nodded in agreement and so did Seth. I still feared that something bad might happen to them. Even if they were certain that they could kill absolutely every one of them I wasn't so sure that I believed it. My heart started to beat faster and I felt Seth squeeze my hand.

"We're going to get through this," he reminded me.

I nodded my head and started to take slow, deep breaths.

"How are we going to get passed the new member's gift?" I heard Rosalie ask from beside me.

"I'm sure that Bella's shield will be able to prevent him from using it. But we'll have to be careful, so I'm thinking that we'll take him out first."

I flinched. What if they couldn't kill him?

"Renesmee and Brady, you two will make sure that all of their pieces get burned. Nothing shall be left, but ashes," Carlisle explained and they both nodded.

"Kate, Tanya, and I will take care of Zach," Eleazar said.

My eyes shot up in his direction. He didn't just say that name did he?

"W-Who?" I shakily asked. I was afraid to hear it, but I knew what was coming.

Eleazar looked at me, "Zach, you know the one who has the ability to make people do whatever he wants them to do."

I let go of Seth's hand and suddenly I couldn't feel anything. My eyes were stuck on the carpet in front of me and flashbacks rushed through my mind, one in particular.

_(Start of Flashback)_

"_Don't leave me, please!" I watched as my brother gathered up his bags in the airport. He kneeled down to my level and took something out of his pocket. When he held out his hand and revealed a chain with a golden heart-shaped charm dangling on the end as it swung from side to side in the air. _

"_I know it's a little late, but happy tenth birthday Nessa," he was the only one who called me Nessa, not my mother or my dad ever considered calling me that, "Whenever you feel lonely and you miss me, take this out and think of me. I'll be back before you know it," he smiled and kissed me on the cheek before he stood up again. _

_As he said his goodbyes to mom and dad I put the chain around my neck and watched as it shined in the sunlight that shined in from the windows. Before I knew it, my brother started to pick up his bags and walk away. _

"_Zach!" I shouted and started to run towards him. He glanced over his shoulder and stopped walking, immediately taking me up into his arms and pulling me into a tight hug._

"_I'll come back to you, I promise. And I'll bring you a souvenir from Italy too, ok?" he whispered in my ear._

_I nodded my head and grinned, "Don't forget me."_

"_I won't," he kissed my cheek one more time before he set me down onto the ground again and as I felt my parents take each of my hands in theirs' I started to cry. He blew a kiss to us, me in particular and then walked towards his friend, Lewis, leaving me to feel empty inside…_

_(End of Flashback)_

"Ness?" Seth waved a hand in front of my face and I blinked a couple of times.

Italy…Zach…The Volturi. This couldn't be happening…

"You said Zach is a v-vampire?" I choked on the word vampire. It all couldn't be real.

"Yes, now what's the matter?" Seth looked at me with a puzzled expression on his face.

I heard Leah gasp, "Your brother," she walked over to where I was sitting.

"What are you talking about, Leah?" Seth seemed confused.

"Zach is my brother, Seth and…he's a part of the Volturi…and…," I felt tears starting to come out of my eyes, "He's not really dead," I breathed.

I shook my head from side to side and sobbed uncontrollably. This wasn't the best time for crying, but finding out that all of these years my brother's been alive hurts me. He's been a part of the Volturi…who wants to change me into one of them.

"How can this be possible?" someone's voice asked, but I didn't bother to figure out who it was.

"He went on a class trip to Italy and never came back," I was surprised that I could actually say all of that while I was crying, but I did, "We figured he was…dead, but I guess he's a part of the Volturi," I shook my head, "How could he do this to me? How could he willingly come here and try to harm me when I'm his sister?"

"He doesn't know any better," it was Alice who spoke now, "You see, when a person becomes a vampire they tend to forget a lot about their human life. The memories are still there somewhere I'm sure because he doesn't want to hurt us, I know that much."

"So he doesn't remember me?" I put my hand on the heart-shaped charm and watched as Alice stared at it.

"Where'd you get that?" she asked, ignoring my question.

"He gave it to me just before he left for Italy."

She walked closer to me and seemed to be deep in thought, until a sudden smile appeared on her face, "We're not going to harm him, none of you will," she looked around the room at everyone, "I should've known this when I first had the vision. Then it didn't make sense, but now it does."

"Alice, what are you talking about?" Jasper said.

"A week ago I had a vision about him. It was strange to me because I saw him with a picture of a little girl. After he was changed he must've kept this picture and now I know that it was of you. He's trying to remember his past and grasp something that can show him hope. He doesn't like being a part of the Volturi, I can tell. So, if we somehow get him to remember you then we won't have to worry about fighting him."

I stared at her as I absorbed this information, "So, if I show him something that was a key to the past then do you think he will remember me?"

She shrugged, "It's worth a shot."

He remembers Nessa, the little girl, but how can I make him remember Vanessa his fourteen year old sister?

I thought of one thing that could work and one thing only…my necklace.

"How likely is it that he'll remember?" I asked.

"Well he hasn't seen you for four years…I don't know how likely it will be for him to remember you…"

I gulped, "And if he doesn't?"

She hesitated to answer me and when she opened her mouth to speak she didn't look at me, "He'll most likely attack us, so we'll have to kill him."

My heart dropped and more tears started pouring out. Seth took me into his arms and held me tight against his chest, kissing me wherever he possibly could, "He's going to remember you, don't worry."

I wanted to believe this, but I couldn't. A part of me was still absorbing the fact that my brother had turned into a vampire that wants to drink my blood. Chase told me that I knew him, but I just didn't know from where at the time. And now it all fits. Even his friend is one of them now…

"Lewis was his friend," I whispered in between sobs.

"Shh," Seth rocked me in his arms, "Everything's going to be ok."

"I wish I could believe you Seth, but I can't. Now that I know that my own brother is your enemy just makes this whole situation worse."

He kissed my forehead and after a minute or two of us sitting there Carlisle interrupted our moment by clearing his throat. Seth slowly loosened his grip on me and took my hand in his.

"They will be here soon, I suggest we leave now," Carlisle put on a brave smile and held his head up, "Good luck everyone, vampires and wolves alike."

I shuddered as everyone started to stand up slowly. This was it, there was no turning back now. I had to try and make my brother remember me by showing him the necklace he gave me. I don't know how I'll manage to get him to notice me or pay attention to me when he didn't want to fight, but I had to try so that he wouldn't get killed.

Seth stood up and I did the same. He led me towards the door and I moved my feet, one in front of the other, without words or any thoughts whatsoever. I couldn't bring myself to believe that everyone would make it out alive. I knew that some dry tears would be shed and some warm tears would be shed as well along with my salty ones. When we made it out of the house, the wind whipped in my face, sending a cool tingling feeling down my spine. I took this as an opportunity to reflect on the good things that have happened to me ever since I moved here. Meeting Seth was the first thing that came to mind, the way he smiled when he saw me and the way I blushed when our eyes met. I also thought of when I almost got killed by Jasper. Even though I hated him then, I somehow managed to develop a unique friendship with him. And the last thing that ran through my mind was when I was first brought into the reality of how supernatural this world really is. I don't regret falling in love with a werewolf or becoming best friends with a vampire. And I certainly don't regret moving here.

As the clearing came into view I took deep breaths. Seth brought our hands up close to his face and kissed the top of mine, "It'll all be over before you know it," he said as he led me through the forest.

I nodded my head, "I love you Seth, always have and always will."

"With a thousand sweet kisses," he looked down at me for the rest of it.

"I'll cover you," I smiled at the fact that he actually remembered that line. That was a good day, a peaceful one to say the least.

Before I knew it we were standing in the all too familiar clearing. Everyone was having their last moments together, Edward with Bella, Rosalie with Emmett, Carlisle with Esme, and Jasper with Alice. I fully turned my attention to Seth and wrapped my arms around his neck.

He leaned his face closer to mine and then he pressed our lips together. I put my hand on the back of his neck and drew him in closer, well as close as I could possibly get them to mine. He picked me up off the ground effortlessly and deepened our kiss. A salty tear streamed down my cheek and I tried to keep the rest inside of my eyes at least until after we were done kissing each other. With one more passionate kiss he regrettably pulled away from me and wiped away the single tear that was dangling from my jaw line.

"No more tears," he smiled.

I shook my head, "Just one more kiss," and then I stood up on my toes and once again found our lips pressed together. His tongue outlined my lips and then he put his hand on the soft of my back and forced our bodies to touch. I waited for some sort of signal that they were coming, but there was none so I just stayed this way until I felt his tongue slip back into his own mouth and felt my lips part from his. He pressed our foreheads together and stared me in the eyes.

"I love you Vanessa Brooks."

"And I love you Seth Clearwater."

He started to loosen his grip on me and I knew that I couldn't protest so I just let go of him, squeezing his hand a couple of times until I finally let go.

"As soon as this is over I'm going to smother you with so many mushy things that you'll be sick of me by the time I'm finished."

I chuckled, "I could never get sick of you. Now go phase so you can kick some Volturi ass."

He half smiled and stared at me for a second before he ran into the woods to phase. I was going to cry, but I forced myself not to. My eyes wandered around the clearing until I finally saw him, my best friend. He was hugging Alice, but then he looked up and our eyes met. After a second of us staring at each other he let go of Alice and whispered something to her. She glanced at me, nodded, and then smiled and he walked over to where I was standing.

For a little while we just stood there staring each other up and down, but then he slightly moved and quickly pulled me into a tight hug. I shut my eyes as I took in his scent.

"You know how I said you mean a lot to me?" he said.

"Mmhmm," I replied.

"I wasn't lying," he rested his cheek on the top of my head, "Don't ever forget me Vanessa."

I furrowed my eyebrows, "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that if things were to turn out badly for me then you have to remember who I was to you. I'm your friend and nothing more. I'm just Tom and you're just Jerry, that's all."

I smiled, "I know, I was starting to forget about what happened last night and now you bring it up once again, great job Jazz."

He stifled a laugh, "Just, try and keep me in your heart no matter what ok?"

"I don't know what you mean and I really don't think I want to, but ok…Tom."

He let go of me and only took my hand now, "You'll understand later Jerry," he smiled and winked at me.

Soon enough Seth, well wolf Seth, was by my side. I glanced at him for a moment and then I looked back at Jasper, "Rip an arm off for me, Jasper," I whispered. It sounded bizarre, but that's the type of stuff that was going to go on. I'm not one to get afraid easily so it didn't bother me.

"I'll try my best," he slowly let go of my hand and I felt the need to grab it again, but I didn't. As I watched him turn around and walk again I found myself wanting to say more to him. I don't know why, but I felt a little hole starting to form in my heart as he got farther and farther away from me. He glanced back at me once with his cute smile that looked a little different now than it did before and then he turned his attention away from me and back to Alice. I just stared at him, wondering why I was feeling a little empty inside. His words had confused me, but I just thought that was another way of his to say something and not really meaning it. Maybe I was wrong, but there was a feeling inside of me that made me think that I would never see that smile again…

**idk about you, but i love the Jasper/Vanessa moment here at the end...**

**oh i almost forgot! those last couple of reviews i got about why you like my story made me smile and inspired this chapter ;]**

**i hope it was good!!!  
**


	29. 27 Fate

**OMG! i am soo soo sorry that i haven't updated in like a month! but i've been writing this new story lately and it's been occupying a lot of my time. I am still going to finish this story, there's no doubt about that. And i hope all of my readers are still around haha**

**I'm not gonna lie this chapter took a lot of thought to it...but i hope you like it.**

**well ENJOY! =]  
**

Chapter 27

Fate

_Accept the things to which fate binds you, _

_And love the people with whom fate brings you together,_

_But do so with all your heart._

**Vanessa's POV**

As I stood there looking into the trees in the distance and waiting for them to come, I thought about what was about to occur. There was a part of me that was anxious to see my brother again and yet I shouldn't be anxious because he might not even remember me. If he didn't know who I was then he would just resemble a shadow, you can see it, but there's no depth to it, no further meaning to it. If that was what he was going to be to me forever then at least I could hold onto the memories I have of him. If somehow, someway I was going to become a vampire today then let's face it I might not even remember him either.

We would be playing a game of risk today. Everyone was risking something. They were risking the loss of a family member, a soul mate, their lives, or, in my case, their humanity. I was willing to risk that much for all of them though. Each of them make up a piece of my heart. Some more than others, but every single one of them are a part of this puzzle inside of my chest.

I could just make out all of their pale skin heading towards us now. I no longer felt scared, but instead I felt courage placed inside of me. I started to massage Seth's fur in my hands as I watched each of their figures come into sight. And I found myself putting a mental image in my head of what my brother looked like. So, as if on cue, he appeared, grey eyes and all. I slightly smiled from how handsome he looked now, but I knew that I had to focus on what I was set to do here. It wasn't that hard of a task, but it was pretty crucial.

I didn't bother to look at any of the other members of the Volturi because the only one I actually wanted to see was Zach. It felt good to be able to think his name and not cry every time I did because he wasn't dead, he was merely immortal now.

I noticed that Aro was staring at me because I could see him out of the corner of my eye. His milky red eyes stood out even if I wasn't directly looking at him.

"You all know why we have come back," Aro started to say and then in one swift movement he was standing in front of me, his body only inches away from mine, but something was preventing him from touching me. It was Bella's shield I figured, "Your decision?" his eyebrows slightly rose.

I glanced at all of the wolves and vampires around me and each of them encouragingly nodded their heads. Before I spoke I suddenly felt my lips start to quiver and I started to shake, but then I stopped because Jasper calmed me down, "My decision is to stay human instead of being changed."

He snarled, "May I ask you why you wouldn't want to become a part of my coven?"

I wasn't prepared to answer a whole bunch of questions, but if it was all I could do now then I had to do it, "I don't want to resort to your way of living. Forgive me if I offend you, but the lifestyle you have created is nothing I want to be a part of."

His eyes narrowed at me, "You'd rather become a Guardian? Is that what you're saying?" his tone was harsh, but I kept a straight face.

I shook my head, "There are still so many things I don't know about the Guardians and if immortality is something I don't have to choose then I certainly won't choose it."

He paused for a moment before speaking again, "Clearly this is a disappointment because since you have communicated with one of the Guardians then obviously you are a very special human being," he turned around and strolled towards the rest of the Guards before turning towards me on his heels again, "And if I can't have you as a part of my coven," a bunch of vampires and wolves started to growl beside me while I forcefully grabbed a bunch of Seth's fur in my hands, knowing that this was it, "Then no one deserves to have you, which is why I can only resort to," he looked at all of his guards, "Ending this once and for all by taking each and every one of you out."

Everything went by quickly after he spoke his last words. The only thing I saw was a group of vampires getting down into crouched positions and the Quileutes getting ready to pounce on them. I was forced onto Seth's back after that and he immediately started to take off, knowing that I previously latched my hands onto his fur. Leah was right beside us and I daringly glanced behind us only to see about three of them following us. One was Jane, I knew, the other was Alec and the last…my brother. I turned my head back around and knew that I could try to stop him from attacking us. The only thing I could do right now was pray that everyone else was safe.

I shut my eyes for a quick second and then I bent my head down closer to Seth's body and gently kissed his fur. When I opened up my eyes again all I saw was Jane half way through the air and about to pounce on Seth's back. Before I could even gasp I felt something force me off of his back and I landed on the ground. Leah quickly recovered and stood in front of me. I just watched as Jane and Seth went at it, hopefully Seth would be ok, was the only thing I thought at that moment.

Before I knew it Leah and Alec started to go at it. I knew that Leah wanted me to try to make my brother remember me now because this was the only opportunity I had to save him…and me. I started to stand up and felt a little wobbly from the impact of Leah almost slamming me to the ground, but it wasn't enough to keep me from doing what I was about to do. I saw him just staring at me through the group of fighting wolves and vampires. He didn't bare his teeth at me or try to make me come near him, he just stood there, silently staring at me.

I bravely took a step forward, taking deep breaths as I did it. It felt like it took me almost an hour to reach him, but I did, without getting hurt.

"Zach," I said, a little shakily from the fall.

A deep grumble came from deep inside his chest. He was really resistant to attacking me, I could tell.

"It's me, Zach," I put my hand on my chest and reached the other one out, pointing to his pocket where the picture of me was, "Nessa," I whispered to him.

_Please remember, please remember, _I thought to myself. If he didn't remember then I'm sure he would attack me even if he didn't want to.

I ignored the vicious growls I heard coming from both Leah and Seth and Alec and Jane. The only thing that mattered at this moment was getting my brother to remember who I was. I stared at his face as he seemed to search for some sort of explanation for his. When he finally acknowledged my finger that was still pointing to his pocket, he took out the crumpled up picture and stared at it, expressionless.

"Zach, kill her now!" I heard Alec snarl from the left side of me.

I flinched from the words he spoke and watched as Zach's eyes flickered from the picture to me, every other second.

"Please Zach, you know me. I'm your sister," he started to put the picture back into his pocket, his eyes looking distraught as his gaze met mine. So many things were racing through my mind at that moment. I tried to think of some sort of special memory that he might be able to remember me by. I had to try to bring back his memories. If none of this worked, then I would have to rely on my last source…my necklace, "Don't you remember? Right before you left you told me you'd bring me back a souvenir from Italy. You said you'd be back," I shook my head and felt the sting of tears prickling the corners of my eyes, "But you never did come back…and now you're…you're this."

"Finish her already!" Alec shouted again. Whenever he spoke it made me worried about Leah, was she ok? I couldn't bare to turn my head to see what was going on with her…or Seth.

Zach started growling and I quickly pulled my hand up to my neck, taking out the necklace that he gave me, "You told me whenever I feel lonely and miss you, then I should take this out and think about you," I bravely lifted my head to look at his face, "I miss you Zach."

It seemed like time had slowed down. Everything around us seemed to be moving in slow motion and as Zach's pale, ice cold finger touched the golden necklace I wondered if he was gaining his memory back.

"Nessa," he whispered lowly.

I smiled. I knew he could remember, "Well it's Vanessa now…or Ness, but yeah it's me."

He chuckled and his freezing hand started to outline my jaw line, "You look so…grown up now."

His thumb wiped away the tears that were trickling down my face and I put my hand on top of his hand that was now resting on my cheek. Even though he was freezing cold, I felt warmer on the inside. It was like a part of me that was missing before suddenly came back again, "I thought I lost you forever, Zach. How could you leave me alone like that?"

As if there wasn't a war going on right now I stood there still and calm. There was so much time we lost and even though now wasn't the best time to be having a conversation full of questions, I didn't care…

"I had no choice," he looked me in the eyes and before he could say another word I heard Alec's growl getting closer and closer to us.

"If you won't finish her off then I'll do it," I heard him mutter.

"Close your eyes," Zach took his hand off of my cheek and I immediately did what he told me to do.

He took one step away from me and I no longer heard Alec's footsteps heading towards us, "Zach, what are you doing?" Alec seemed to be struggling to move and I wouldn't be surprised if it was Zach who made him unable to move. I could hear a bunch of snarls and growls coming out of my brother's mouth, "No, wait…don't!" Alec pleaded from in front of me.

I bit my lip just before I heard a snapping noise that sent chills down my spine. And then another snap followed by more after that.

"Leah, start a fire with the bark from that tree," he demanded.

I slowly opened my eyes one by one and a bunch of scattered limbs were on the ground. One of Alec's arms started to move towards the other one, but Zach picked it up and threw it into the fire that Leah had started a second earlier. Zach threw the rest of Alec's body parts into the fire and before I could even say anything about the sight in front of me my brother was pulling me into a tight, yet comfortable embrace. I wrapped my arms around his rock hard body and took in his strong scent. I remember that he used to have a more woodsy scent, but now he smelled…sweet.

After only a matter of seconds of us standing there I heard a loud whimper come from the distance. My eyes shot open and my head lifted off of Zach's chest, "Seth," I breathed.

I didn't even notice that there was nothing, but the blazing fire by us now. What had I missed?

Zach turned his head around to where the sound was coming from and then he put both of his hands on my arms, "Stay here, and don't move an inch. I'll have Leah come back here," he kissed my cheek with his icy lips and then half a second later he was gone and I was left here, waiting for Leah to come back…

**Jasper's POV**

I ran after Lewis. I thought that I finally had him, but he managed to get out of my grasp and escape. He ran as quickly as he could into the woods, heading in the direction of where they took Vanessa to. He was just ahead of me now, and damn was he fast. Lewis was still somewhat of a newborn, so it was no surprise to me that he was quicker than me. But I didn't think he would know how to fight as well as he did. It was actually…hard for me to fight him off. I thought maybe it was just his newborn strength, but he actually had a strategy.

I heard one whine of pain come from the trees in front of me and I quickened my pace to see who had gotten hurt. As soon as I spotted Lewis's figure I got into a crouched position and leaped through the air, pouncing onto his back and slamming him to the ground. Beside me, Seth's arm was bleeding badly. I tried to keep Lewis down, but he was still a little stronger than me. I knew I could kill him, and I knew I could keep Seth out of danger, but Lewis was putting up a good fight.

Soon after I started fighting I noticed Zach coming towards us out of the corner of my eye. He was either coming here to help Lewis or he was coming here to help Seth.

I managed to look away from Lewis for a moment to see what Zach was going to do and by the way he immediately kneeled next to Seth I knew that Vanessa had done well. It was also a sign that so far she was ok and everyone was doing their jobs right. But I felt like I wasn't doing my job right because I couldn't even fight off this one vampire. Lewis got out of my grasp again and took a standing position about ten feet away from me.

He started to hiss from in front of me and I turned my attention back to him, baring my teeth just as viciously as he did. He took the first move and slammed into me, but I managed to stay in the same position that I was in before.

"Where's Jane?" I heard Zach say from behind me.

My eyes went wide at that instant. I knew that by his question, she wasn't going to be back to where the rest of my family was, she was heading for Vanessa. I don't know how I'll be able to protect her now, but all I can do…is try.

**Vanessa's POV**

I was worried, really worried. Not only did Leah not come like Zach said she would, but…Seth was hurt. I mean I knew that was him, I could tell that it was him. It just made me feel uneasy inside.

My thoughts were interrupted by a sudden rustling in the trees and I sighed in relief. Finally Leah came. I got up off of the ground and started to walk towards the noise. And when I got close enough and realized that my assumptions were wrong I stopped dead in my tracks. Jane's small figure appeared out of the trees, a small smirk plastered on her face.

"I don't see why you're so special…" I started to back away from her, but she was fast so I knew it wouldn't do me any good, "You're just as pathetic as any other human."

_Help! _I shouted in my mind.

As if anyone would be able to hear me now...

I sprinted to the left, but she quickly ran in front of me and chuckled, "Like I said, you're a pathetic human."

And then, I felt the most excruciating pain go through my body. It felt like someone pierced one million daggers through my skin and I fell to the ground from the pain. I cringed into a ball on the ground, as if it would make anything better, and shut my eyes tight. The feeling made me want to die right there on the spot, I'd choose death over having to feel this pain any longer.

_Vanessa use your gift_, and the one voice I never thought I'd hear at a moment like this came into my head.

_What gift am I supposed to use? I have none! _I didn't know if Chase could hear me thinking this right now, but it was worth a shot.

_Have faith in yourself Vanessa, don't let Jane control you._

The pain felt like it was getting worse. Maybe she was using it against me more because I wasn't dead yet, which surprised me because I felt pretty dead at the moment, or maybe it was just me, but I could've sworn that it was getting worse.

Chase told me to use my…gift. What the hell is he talking about? I'm no vampire. Like Jane said I'm just a pathetic human. And then as if it couldn't get any worse, the daggers felt like they were getting deeper and deeper into my skin and I screamed out loud this time. Jane started laughing in delight from the sound. She couldn't control me, only I can control myself. A million and one thoughts ran through my mind. I tried to think of something I could use to my advantage instead of hers. I reminded myself of everything that Chase told me in the past and I remember when Jasper first told me about Jane and her gift.

"_Jane, she can make people feel like they're in pain."_

Jasper told me.

"_You already have a gift," he stated, "Use it wisely."_

And then I remembered that Chase had explained to me before that I already have a gift. I didn't think it meant anything before, but right now…I feel like it does.

I started to shake from how much pain I was in. Jasper said that she made people _feel _like they were in pain. So doesn't that mean that…I'm necessarily not in any pain at all? Doesn't this mean that she's making me believe that I'm in pain?

I bravely opened my eyes and realized there was not one scratch on me. I was shaking, but there were no daggers sticking out of me. It was…my imagination. She's making me think I'm in pain.

Without thinking at all I started to raise my head up, slowly but surely. And I kept it in my mind that she couldn't control me, and that I really wasn't in pain right now. I immediately clenched my hands into fists and fought against the pain, trying to make it fade away. I was still trembling uncontrollably and my heart started racing in my chest. I could start to feel the pain letting up in my legs and soon it let up in my arms. The relief led its way up to my neck and soon there was only a slight feeling of pain in my head, it almost felt like a headache or a migraine.

"Vanessa!" someone shouted.

I laid my head back down on the ground from how much the headache actually hurt. And I slowly felt unconsciousness overcome me.

"No, no!" Jane screamed out loud, "My…my gift!"

And then I let the darkness engulf me. The last thing I heard was a screech and then a snap, until I could no longer hear, or feel, or see anything…

**So, kind of a cliffhanger...? maybe? **

**idk we shall see what happens next! any guesses as to how Vanessa managed to stop Jane's power from working on her? **

**mwuahahahahaha i know how =D**

**lol  
**

**REVIEW!!!!  
**


	30. 28 Things Happen

**i finally managed to update =D**

**i will write the next chapter ASAP because i left it at a place where people will want to see more soon and i'm sure there will be a few guesses as to what happens**

**and woot! 200 reviews!!!! yay!!!**

**hope you like this chapter  
**

Chapter 28

Things Happen

The first thing that came to me was my sense of sound. I started to hear a beeping noise keeping a slow and steady tempo next to me. The next thing was my head, it still hurt badly. Not as bad as a migraine, but close enough. My eyes felt heavy and I was feeling groggy. It wasn't the best feeling in the world, but it wasn't nearly as bad as the one-million-daggers-puncturing-through-your-skin feeling. I felt a pinching on my arm which didn't go away. Wondering what was pinching me, I attempted to open my eyes, slowly and carefully. An IV tube was sticking out of my arm and it didn't take me long to acknowledge the oxygen tubes in my nostrils. I sighed loudly.

"You're awake," the one voice I wanted to hear right now made me turn my head in the direction of the sound.

I smiled when I saw his perfect face, but the smile soon faded when I saw that his arm was all bandaged up, "Are you ok?" I asked.

He nodded, "Never been better. I heal quickly remember," he winked at me.

I chuckled, "How could I forget?"

I took a moment to look around the room. Everything was still and the only noises I heard were Seth's breathing and the annoying beeping. The tubes that were stuck up my nose started to get annoying too…

"Why do I have these in my nose?" I asked, a little confused by all the tubes.

"Well you kinda stopped breathing for a while…it scared the hell outta me."

I thought for a minute, "After I was unconscious?"

He nodded, "When Zach told me you were hurt by Jane I went crazy worrying about you," he shuddered, "Probably the scariest two days of my life."

"I've been out for two days?!"

He moved towards my bed and didn't say a word as he sat down beside me, "Vanessa," he breathed, "What's the last thing you remember?"

I stared at his face as I tried to come up with an answer to his question, "Everything went black and then the pain went away. Well, I did have a headache afterwards…"

"Anything else?" he placed his warm hand on top of mine.

"Jane shouted something about her gift," I shook my head, "But I don't know what happened after that…"

He sighed and nodded his head, but didn't say a word. I was starting to get a little suspicious as to why he seemed so disappointed by my response. It was weird how I suddenly started to feel like he was hiding something from me, yet again.

"Seth is something wrong?"

He paused, "Your brother spoke to me earlier," he lifted his head to look at me, "He said something about how he saw Jane using her gift on you and then she suddenly just…stopped."

"And?" I didn't know where he was going with this…

"And I think, maybe, you might've stopped her."

I immediately started to laugh at his response, "If you haven't noticed by now, I'm no vampire," I shook my head and smiled.

"But you're supposed to be one of them…" he muttered lowly.

I knew exactly what he meant by that. He was referring to the Guardians, but I don't know how they came into the picture all of a sudden.

I lifted my arm that didn't have the IV in it and rested it on his warm cheek, "Chase won't force me to become a vampire Seth. I know that for a fact. The Guardians won't make me do anything. So, I'm staying human for as long as I possibly can," I slowly brought my lips closer to his face and kissed him lightly.

Reality suddenly hit me. I wouldn't have to miss him anymore because he was alive and I was alive. It took me a minute to fully absorb that fact.

"Being human doesn't mean that you don't have a gift already. Take Bella for instance. She had her power before she was changed. And Alice could see the future as a human too."

I tried to grasp what he was saying, "So, what? You think I have a gift?"

"Maybe," he grinned, "It's possible. We just have to figure out what it is."

I rolled my eyes, "Don't get your hopes up, it's probably nothing…"

He kissed the tip of my nose, "I love you," he whispered to me.

I waited two days to hear those words again. Even though I was unconscious for those two days I still longed to hear them. It was like someone had intentionally lifted all of the weight on my shoulders.

"Wait, before…you said you talked to my brother," I looked around the room as if he would be there, "Where is he?"

"Well since he isn't a vegetarian vampire Carlisle figured the hospital wouldn't be the best place for him to be at the moment. So he let him stay at the Cullens' place."

That was a good reason. I guess I got stupider over the past two days…wow…

"He's not with the Volturi anymore?" I waited impatiently for his reply.

"Ness," Seth stared me in the eyes with a troubled look on his face, "The Volturi," he shook his head from side to side, "We…we killed them."

Ok, so obviously stupid was an understatement. Had I lost my memory or something?

"All of them? You killed Alec and Caius and the wives?"

His head bobbed up and down and put one of his hands on my cheek, "But you're safe now. And that's all that matters to me," his lips touched my forehead and I flinched from the warmth.

"What happened to me? I mean…I feel like I've forgotten what occurred a couple days ago."

"Carlisle said that once you had fallen into a state of unconsciousness something happened to you…something he couldn't even explain. And he's the wisest person I know."

He's the wisest person I know too and the smartest. If anything he should know what was wrong with me right away. Maybe….just maybe, "I've had this headache ever since I woken up. It doesn't feel like any headache I've ever had though. It feels like…I got something put into my brain," wow, now I am truly losing it. What kind of stuff is in this IV tube?

"Like some sort of gift," he kept getting at the gift thing. I didn't believe I could have one, "See that's what I mean. You could've been killed by Jane," he flinched. I knew it pained him to say that, "She's a powerful being. Her gift hurts us wolves and vampires like hell, but I can't imagine what it felt like for you to be in that sort of pain."

Well it did feel like hell for me, "So what do you think it means?"

"Zach saw it happen. I only know what he told me, but he tried to tell me in as much detail as he possibly could."

"Enough with the guessing games Seth just tell me," I tried to keep my tone normal, but it came off a little harsher than I meant it too.

He didn't seem bothered by it, "He told me that you managed to overpower her. And you had her surprised enough so Zach could kill her. One minute you were shaking and the next you were fine, but Jane wasn't."

How the hell did I overpower a vampire like her? She was a freaky little thing! I could never imagine me doing anything to scare her…

A moment later, Carlisle walked into the room with an unusually pained look on his face. I had to ponder for a moment. He looked like he was about to burst into tears. And I'm pretty certain that he would've if he could produce tears.

He smiled weakly at me, "It's good to see you awake," he checked the IV in my arm and then looked at the monitors that were placed around me, "So far everything looks normal."

"That's good," I watched as Carlisle filled out his charts. He looked pretty worn out. Was it even possible for a vampire to look worn out?

He lifted his head up and used a flashlight to check my eyes and some other doctor type tool to check the inside of my ear. I didn't know why he needed to check my ear out.

He sighed. At that moment I knew something was wrong, "Vanessa, I'm going to ask you a few questions about what happened before you became unconscious."

I nodded my head and proceeded with telling him the whole story about me supposedly scaring Jane. He listened to me with pain written all over his face. Something was wrong…really really wrong.

"And then I woke up," I shrugged, "What do you think it could be?"

Seth sat in one of the chairs that were next to my bed and the two of us waited for Carlisle's response. But while I was eyeing him suspiciously, Seth was just looking. I didn't know what was going on or what I didn't know that everybody else seemed to know about, but it sort of sparked my curiosity to find out what I was missing.

"By the sounds of it, it seems like a big possibility that you have a gift. It's not nearly as powerful as it could be which is why I think it's harder for us to figure out what it exactly is. But I will do everything in my power to find out what really occured."

I smiled genuinely, "Thank you Carlisle," I figured I would get it out now since he was here, "Not just for this, but for everything you've done for me."

His lips pulled up into another weak grin, "You're more than welcome."

And then he packed up his things and headed for the door, Seth followed after him and closed the door behind him. I just watched through the window as they spoke to each other. Seth seemed very sympathetic while Carlisle put his hand on Seth's shoulder and seemed to say the words, "Thank you," to him. They talked for a couple more minutes until Seth patted Carlisle on the back and then walked back into the room.

What was going on?

He smiled widely as he walked towards my hospital bed. I kept my eyes fixed on him and I could totally see through the calm look he tried to put on his face. He sat down beside me again and took my hand in both of his palms. I couldn't take this weirdness anymore, "Seth what's going on?" I asked sternly.

He narrowed his eyes, "What do you mean?"

"I think you know exactly what I mean," I wasn't going to buy the lies this time. I needed to get right to the point this time around, "Why did Carlisle look so upset? Did something happen?"

His muscles seemed to tense up from my questions. And his face went blank. He was either playing dumb or he didn't know what to say to that. Hopefully it was neither.

"I…I don't know how to tell you this…" he stuttered.

His eyes were shooting in all sorts of directions, but they never met mine once, which scared the crap out of me. And Seth was not the type of person who stuttered when they were nervous. He was more of the pacing type. I just don't know what to think at this point.

"Tell me," I tightened my grip on his hand, "Whatever it is, I'll handle it."

He closed his eyes and shook his head, "I'm not even handling it that well," he mumbled.

I didn't think I was supposed to hear that, but I did. He obviously wasn't good at keeping his mouth shut. I was starting to get annoyed by this. He kept trying to put things off and it wasn't helping my sanity right now. I felt like I was going to just burst with rage because he just couldn't spit it out already, "Please Seth, I want to know."

_Wanting is so much different than needing_, I thought to myself.

He was silent for a couple more minutes before he finally let out a big sigh and opened his eyes and looked straight at me, "Something happened while you were with Jane," he paused, "I feel so helpless when I think about it," a snarl came out of his mouth, "Because I know that if I hadn't been stupid and gotten myself hurt, than he wouldn't be…" he stopped before saying anything else.

I didn't know who the he was, but by the way he stopped something told me that it was someone I wouldn't expect. Or just someone I didn't want to expect. Another thing was that I felt like I knew what he was going to say next. It wasn't good and it wasn't going to make me feel any better than I felt right now. What I was going to hear next was going to crush me and the thing is…I know I would want time to freeze right now so that I wouldn't have to hear what he was going to say next.

**BOOM!!!**

**that's a big cliffy....  
**


	31. 29 Somewhere Out There

***takes deep breaths* now you'll finally know who Seth's talking about... **

**don't hate me for this, i have my reasonings for what i did**

**oh and tell me what you think of the little quote thing in the middle about time flying and the quote about lifting spirits (i won't give away anymore...) i made them up...don't know if they make sense haha **

**soo HERE WE GO! =D  
**

Chapter 29

Somewhere Out There

I debated whether it was really worth knowing the truth. Did I want to find out who he was talking about? I could only imagine who…and yet I didn't want to think about it. I knew the one name that could come out of his mouth right now. Bad things always happen to me, so it was more likely that it would be that one name I didn't want to hear.

I know that if I didn't find out what he was talking about now, than I would be left with wondering what I missed. So I decided that it was better to know, "Spit it out Seth," I eyed him as he looked down at my bed sheets instead of actually looking at me.

He gulped a lump in his throat and then opened his mouth to say something, "I got hurt," he lowered his head, "While Jasper was trying to fight off Lewis," I closed my eyes ready for what he was going to say next, "There was a lot of blood and Lewis lost control…"

"Oh God," I whispered, softly so that only I could hear it.

I could hear his lips starting to quiver and I felt mine starting to as well, "Jasper put himself in front of me so that Lewis wouldn't try to hurt me. And the last thing I remember was him telling me to take care of you for him."

I shut my eyes tighter so that the water wouldn't start coming out. My headache started to feel worse now as I thought about what he told me. But hearing Seth tell me about what happened was so much more painful than anything because I knew. I knew why Carlisle looked so terrible and I knew why Seth was so hesitant to telling me the truth.

"Lewis managed to…kill him," he said as lowly as I thought he could, but I heard what he said.

It hit me, hard. Like a big ton of bricks. But I think it was a lot harder than that. As I sat there with my eyes closed and my hands on either side of me I realized that he was no longer here. It was hard for me to think that Jasper, my best friend, wasn't living anymore.

I felt the tears sting my eyes, but I tried to keep them inside. I tried not to break down right now because I didn't want to. I don't want to be weak, but he's gone.

"No," I muttered and put my face in my hands. I felt that a part of me was taken away. It seems unfair that him out of all people had to lose their life.

A flash of him went through my mind. It was right before the Volturi got here. The reason why I felt empty when I looked at him as he walked away made sense to me now. It was truly the last time I embraced him and the last time that I got to hear his voice.

I felt my hands starting to shake. I couldn't take it any longer, so I opened my eyes and let the tears come rushing out. Seth came over and laid down next to me, cooing in my ear and telling me that everything would be alright. I shook my head and just cried and cried, believing that it wouldn't be alright. Nothing could be fine now.

"He's gone," I could barely speak let alone see with all of the sobbing and tears that were pouring out of me right now.

Seth kissed me on my cheek multiple times, but even that didn't help. Nothing could help the pain I was feeling right now. There was no more sun that could shine through the clouds of my life. It was pitch black. Completely…black.

"No, no, no, no, no!" I screamed and punched the pillow that my head was resting on.

"Vanessa please," he tried to get me to stop, but even he wouldn't be able to.

I kept punching my pillow and sobbing. My head was now throbbing, but I didn't care. The only thing that I thought about was him. I saw images of him roll through my mind. It hurt to look at them, but they weren't going away.

"Shh, it'll be ok," he grabbed my arm and the feeling of his hand made me slightly calm down. I stopped throwing punches and turned towards Seth. He pushed me closer to him and kissed the top of my head while I made stains on his shirt with the tears I shed.

And so I sat there…thinking about Jasper and crying until my eyes were dry. It hurt, but there was nothing I could do about it. So I'll be Jerry and live without my Tom. The only thing I can do now is hang onto the memories I have of him and never let them go…

***

_Time seems to fly faster than anyone wants it to. We have to be the ones who decide what happens while it's flying though. Savor everything and everyone in your life…you never know when it'll all be taken away._

***

**3 weeks later…**

I never thought that I'd be standing here with a small bouquet of flowers in my hand, about to rest them on the memorial of my best friend. It was hard to think that I got through three weeks without him. Three weeks of looking at his family members and seeing how much more this affected them then it did me. I looked at Alice and no longer saw the little dancing pixie. She hasn't shown any sort of emotion since the fight. And no one seems to be able to get her out of her frozen state. When I look at her now, I see her just as I would see myself if I lost Seth. I don't think of her as a vampire because she looks just as delicate and shattered as any human would.

The wind blew in my face, reminding me of why I was here. I wiped my face dry of the salt water that ran down my cheeks. My eyes were glued to the stone that was set in front of me. It was set up in the forest, close to the Cullen household. A memorial was something that everyone decided to put out here. I was one of the ones who wanted it the most.

I ran my fingers over the writing that was carved in the stone. I read it over to myself:

_Jasper Hale _

_Loving brother, son, husband, and friend._

_We live on with passion from sunset to sunrise. And that passion is to lift the spirits of the ones around us. _

"I love you Jazz," I whispered as I stared at the quote that was written.

I wanted to come here alone today because I felt like I needed to say something to him, whether he hears me or not. Every other time someone would come with me. It was usually Seth and he tried to persuade me to let him come this time, but I told him I needed to do this alone.

My mother and I made up when I got better. Carlisle had supposedly told her that I was sick and that I couldn't come home yet. And as soon as I got out of the hospital I went back home and gave my mother the biggest hug I could give her. I never was angry with her. I was just frustrated with the whole situation with my father. And with what happened with Jasper, I needed her more than ever.

I became fond of the Cullens and I visited them whenever I could, which was mostly on weekends. I tried to help them and they helped me too because we were all going through the same thing. Seth was the one who I felt that I could go to the most though. He would just hold me and let me cry and he wouldn't say anything. I appreciated his patience with me.

I rested the flowers down onto the stone, sat down on the ground, and took one deep breath, "I miss you, so much. I can't even put into words how much I miss you," I looked down at my hands and sucked up the tears so I wouldn't cry, "But I know that you're out there, somewhere," I looked around the forest and the wind blew again, "I know that you're watching over all of us. And I promise I'll do everything in my power to help Alice."

I paused before I decided to say something else, "You should see her though," my head shook from side to side, "There's pain written all over her face. I feel so terrible," a tear drop dripped down my cheek and I immediately wiped it away, "But I'll be strong for her. I promise you that, just like I promised you that I would never forget you because I won't. I could never do it," I kissed my palm and then set it onto his name, "I'll keep a special place in my heart for you Tom because Jerry will prevail," I grinned at my last statement a little and then I stood up, staring at the quote again, "You didn't just lift people's spirits with your gift, Jazz. Everything about you lifted them."

The wind started to blow again. It was a nice breeze this time and I smiled, hoping that that was Jasper's way of letting me know that he did hear me. I started to walk back to the Cullens' place slowly. It felt like I said everything I needed to say because I felt slightly better. Thinking about him still hurt, but it wasn't as terrible as it was before.

When I reached the house I walked up the steps and into the house. It was a usual thing for me to walk into the house without knocking, everyone was used to it. Seth was sitting on the couch in the living room, watching TV. I walked into the room and sat next to him. He smiled and took my hand.

"How are you?" he asked in a concerned tone.

I shrugged, "I'm ok. I feel a little better I guess."

I wasn't going to lie, I didn't feel completely better. But it did help me.

"You'll be ok," he pulled me close to him and I rested my head on his chest.

"I hope so," I whispered as I stared at the TV, not watching it, but thinking about what the future could hold…

**it's almost over *cries* =,[**

**don't hate me because i made this so short, but i didn't know how i could continue on...i'm sure it's a lot to take in so haha i won't put anymore of what i need to put in before the end**

**i'm thinking that there's going to be about 2 or 3 more chapters to this story and then *sniffle sniffle* i'm done...i don't know if there will be a sequel...if anything i won't start it for a while because i have 2 other stories i wanna continue writng**

**but tell me in your review if you want a sequel...  
**


	32. 30 Window

**AHHH!!!!**

**so i have very very good news....**

**this story has been nominated for an award!!!!!! umm i'd really just like to thank the person who nominated me and all of my readers. I mean without you i wouldn't be this far with story haha **

**sooo i know i haven't updated in a while but i'm sorry!!! i really had a hard time with writing because it's the end **

**but i got inspired to write!!!**

**voting for the awards open on saturday and if you liked this story than please vote for me!!! there's a link in my profile for where you can vote and stuff :D**

**anyways ENJOY!!!  
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Chapter 30

Window

I stared down the door in front of me, the door that led to his room. Even though it was empty and that there was no chance that he'd be in there, I still hoped that maybe there was some way that he could come back. It's stupid for me to think that way, but this place never seems to stop surprising me.

I swallowed the huge lump that was forming in my throat and closed my eyes to prevent the tears from coming out. If I started crying now when Seth's right downstairs then I don't think I'd stop. I didn't want any of the Cullens to see me crying either, especially Alice. It would just make things worse…way worse…

"Nessa?" my eyes immediately shot open when I heard my brother's voice calling my name.

The concern on his face was something I didn't want to see because I knew that I had been caught. I knew I shouldn't have tested my emotions like this…but I also should've known that my brother might see me about to cry since he does live here with the Cullens now.

I wiped my cheeks and got rid of any tears that dared to come out, "Sorry," I muttered as I walked around him and before I could even get close to the stairs his freezing cold hand forced me to stop dead in my tracks.

"You don't have to be sorry about anything."

I looked up at him and just stared at how much he has changed and how much he really hasn't. Sure he's a lot paler than he used to be, but he still looks like he's sixteen. And even though he doesn't have baby blue eyes anymore, his grey eyes still hold that sympathetic stare that they used to hold.

"I'm the one that should be sorry," he looked down at the floor.

I shook my head in disagreement, "It's not your fault Zach. None of this is your fault."

He raised my arm with his hand and rolled up my sleeve. Of course he could see the scars. To him they weren't that hard to see, but to me they all looked practically invisible because they were all a light pink color now and most of them blended in with my skin.

"That's not your fault either," I pulled my arm out of his grip and stared at him to see if I was making him feel any better, but by the way he wouldn't make any sort of eye contact with me I knew that I really wasn't, "It's dad's fault."

"When did he start doing this to you?" he immediately asked.

I kept my mouth shut knowing that if I told him the truth then he would immediately start blaming himself. I can't let him think that this is his fault…

"Vanessa," he hissed, "When?"

I flinched, knowing that I couldn't do anything at this point but tell him the truth, "A couple of weeks after the police concluded that you were dead."

He growled and finally raised his head so that he could look at me, "This is all my fault," he paused and shook his head from side to side, "If I wasn't so stupid then I wouldn't have gotten myself bitten and you never would've gotten hurt," his hands formed into fists, "And I wouldn't be_ this_ right now."

"Stop it Zach!" I shouted at him now because I knew that that was going to be the only way that I was going to get through to him, "I do not blame you for what happened to me. I love you and nothing, not even the fact that you're a vampire or the fact that dad hurt me, is going to make me feel differently about you," I placed my hand on his cheek and forced him to look me in the eye, "You're still my brother."

For a minute I thought that I was going to have to scream at him again, but then I saw a small grin appear on his face.

"When did you start acting so mature?"

I shrugged my shoulders, "When you were gone."

He chuckled without humor, "I missed a lot obviously…last time I saw you, you were wearing your hair in pigtails and carrying around a stuffed bunny rabbit."

I blushed at his statement that really does seem like a long time ago, "I've grown up."

He sighed, "Apparently," he took a deep breath before speaking again, "I wish I was there for you," he shook his head, "I wish I wasn't some sick monster who could make people do whatever I want them to do."

"Please Zach; you are the farthest thing from a monster."

His head immediately shot up and his expression soon turned serious, "Am I though?"

There was a moment of silence before he started growling and baring his teeth, "I sound like one, don't I?" he said, "And I look like one."

I shook my head, "No, you don't."

He stared me in the eye, "My eyes, they're grey because I can control minds," his feet moved forward and even though he was getting closer to me, I didn't move away, "Look at my eyes and tell me that I don't look like a monster," he took my hand in his and I shivered from how cold they were, "You can't deny the truth."

"No, I can't," I slightly narrowed my eyes, "But none of that_ is_ true. You're still you Zach, I know you are," I squeezed his hand as hard as I could, ignoring the freezing cold feeling of his skin; "If you weren't then I'm pretty sure that you wouldn't be able to remember me at all."

He shut his mouth because he knew that I was right. Maybe he was finally starting to listen to me. I would hope that he was because I didn't consider him as a monster, the only thing I consider him as is my brother.

"You've changed so much Nessa. I still can't believe how grown up you are," we both just stared at each other at that moment. The only thing I could think about was what he might be thinking at the moment. I didn't want him to hate himself for missing out on me growing up or not being there to protect me when dad tried to hurt me. He shouldn't feel like it's his fault because it's not, I know it's not.

"I still can't fathom the fact that you're here," I smiled.

He looked away from me yet again, "How's mom?"

I didn't exactly know how to answer his question because I knew that if I started talking about mom then he would want to see her and he can't. It hurts to see that he knows she's still out there but he can't even talk to her because there's always a chance that he'll get thirsty and possibly hurt her.

"She's ok I guess. Lately she's been talking to dad on the phone," I flinched, "He wants to see us again for some reason. At first I hated the idea, but now I'm just trying to be there for her and support her."

He was completely silent when I finished answering his question and I could only help but wonder if he missed her. At that point I felt for him. He knows that our parents are both alive and now that he remembers his past he knows how much he meant to them and how much pain his supposed death caused them. The only thing I could do now was try to make him feel better about all of this.

"Maybe one day you can see her again Zach," it was a stupid thing to point out, but that's all I got at this point.

"No, I can't," he paused, "She would freak out…"

Damn, I guess I'm not very good at this after all, "But-,"

"There are no buts this time Vanessa," he glanced at me and then looked down at the floor, "I'll just deal with the fact that I'm never going to see her again."

I shook my head and thought about what more I could do for him. There was nothing that struck me enough to actually say to him. I had nothing to say to him…

"At least I have you," he smiled, "You've helped me more than anyone here."

I raised my eyebrows, "How?" I really didn't think I did anything to help him except tell him what he missed out on. That doesn't seem that helpful to me.

"Well for one I remember my past now," that's true, I guess I didn't really think about that, "And I'm not as tempted to feed on humans because of you."

Again I was confused, "How am I helping you with that? Wouldn't I just be tempting you even more?"

He shook his head, the huge smile still plastered on his pale face, "If I didn't have you then I wouldn't feel bad about killing people. But knowing that you're so delicate now makes me think about what I'm really doing when I'm killing humans."

That actually does make a lot of sense. But I can't believe that he's not hunting humans anymore because of me…

"I'm no longer a part of the Volturi. I don't have to live that sort of lifestyle anymore," he added.

Even though I knew that already it was nice to get a recap on that fact since I still found it hard to believe. Before I ever knew about werewolves and vampires I thought that my brother was gone forever and I never could have guessed that he became one of them until I met Seth. I mean if it wasn't for the whole imprinted by a werewolf, destined to be a Guardian deal then I would probably still be thinking that he was dead. He wouldn't remember anything about me either…

A pair of footsteps walking up the stairs interrupted my thoughts and I immediately looked over my shoulder so that I wouldn't go any further with those 'what if' reflections that were haunting me. And as soon as I saw Seth's face I smiled widely. He, of course, was smiling back at me with the same look he always looked at me with. I guess that after the battle with the Volturi, the two of us had become even closer than before if you could ever think that that was possible.

"I'll give you two some time alone," my brother whispered in my ear.

I turned my gaze back to Zach and just as I was going to open my mouth to say something Seth beat me to the punch.

"No, its fine," he took the words right out of my mouth.

"Actually I was going to go for a hunt. My throat is really starting to burn," I looked up at Zach and since his eyes were now black I knew he wasn't just saying that so he could let us be alone.

I bobbed my head up and down. I was disappointed to say the least. It's been about four years since I've actually had a full one on one conversation with my brother and now he's leaving. I don't know why but seeing him leave only brings back one painful memory. I closed my eyes as if no one was standing around me and held the golden charm in the palm of my hand. I couldn't help but feel like I wouldn't see him again. It's stupid because he's not really leaving me for that long again…maybe an hour or two…hopefully.

Suddenly, I felt two cold arms wrap around me. With my hand still holding the charm my eyes slowly fluttered open and before I knew it, he planted a kiss on my forehead.

"Don't worry," Zach whispered, "I'll be back."

"Promise?" I questioned.

"I promise, Vanessa," he said confidently.

I started to shiver from how ice cold he was, but I didn't want him to let go because I haven't been able to embrace him this way in a while. But unfortunately, he did let go. I looked into his eyes and I could tell that he was trying to resist the tempting smell of my blood, even Seth's blood. I didn't want to torture him anymore so I pulled away.

"Give mom a kiss for me when you get home," he half smiled.

I nodded my head in agreement, "I will," I promised.

And then, he walked away and headed down the stairs, looking back at me once and grinning at me before he finally disappeared. I faced Seth and suddenly felt warmer and better when he smiled at me. The bad feeling I had before suddenly went away when I looked at him and I loved him for that reason. Because even when I feel like complete and total crap, he seems to find some way to make me feel better. I don't know how he does it, but he does…he really does…

"What do you keep smiling at me like that for?" he said as he walked towards me.

I shrugged my shoulders, "Because I love you."

His eyes started beaming and when he reached me he wrapped his arms around my waist and smacked his lips against mine. All I could think at that moment was that things were only going to go up from here. There would be no more twists to this story, our story. And I couldn't help but believe that that was the truth. I didn't want to think any other way.

And as always we were interrupted by nothing other than a huge howl. Our lips pulled away regrettably and I started laughing at how ironic it was that they had to howl now.

Seth sighed, "The interruptions never seem to fail."

I finally managed to stop laughing so I could say something, "No, they really don't. What do they want anyways?"

He kissed my forehead and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear before he decided to answer my question, "I have to go on patrol unfortunately."

"Right," I murmured. I hated it when he went on patrol. It always meant that he could possibly get hurt. I shuddered at the thought of him getting hurt once again.

"I'll be back as soon as possible though," he added.

"Just…be careful Seth, ok?"

He placed both of his hands on my cheeks and kissed me on the lips for a moment before pulling them away again, "I'll be careful, I promise you that I'll come back in the same state that I left in."

I chuckled when I thought about promises and how many promises other people have made to me. They're not always as accurate as they're cut out to be…

"Want me to take you home?" he said, interrupting my thoughts.

"Yeah," I smiled. It would be a lie if I said I never get worried when he goes on patrol because I always do. I'm pretty sure every one of the Quileutes' imprints gets worried when they go out to protect La Push…

***

By the time that I got home the sky was basically pitch black. I walked up the steps and glanced over my shoulder at Seth who was sitting happily in his wolf form.

"Will you come over when you're done?" I asked, my voice sounding hopeful.

Seth shook his head 'yes' and stood up on his paws, pointing his nose towards the door which probably indicated that I should hurry up.

I rolled my eyes, "I'm not as fast as you are you know? I tend to take my time," I slowly put my key in the door, hearing him make a chuckling sort of noise behind me.

After I opened the door I took one step inside and turned my whole body around to face him, "Goodnight Seth," I whispered before totally closing the door.

I sighed and felt myself starting to miss him already. God it really didn't take too long for me to feel that way.

A huge roar of snores suddenly made me come back into reality of where I was. My mother was sprawled out on the couch…snoring…

I groaned and went into the hallway closet, digging out a blanket and walking back into the living room. I quickly put it on her and turned the TV off before I kissed her on the cheek for Zach. It wasn't long after that that my fatigue caught up to me. And I hadn't even thought about the time until I actually looked at the clock. To my surprise it was already nine o'clock. I feel like I've been up forever.

I dragged myself up to my room and put on a comfortable pair of sweats and an old t-shirt. It was difficult to think about anything other than Seth. I mean I had no idea if he was safe or if he was somehow hurt again. Ugh, I'd probably die if I found out he was hurt again.

I started listening to my iPod in order to keep those scary thoughts out of my head. And I sang along to each and every song that played, closing my eyes and letting the lyrics take over every single part of my brain.

"_Vanessa!"_ I heard someone shout in my head and my eyes flew open. I took the headphones out of my ears and scanned my room, realizing that there was no one there. Well of course no one's there because there's only one person that would be able to make me hear their voice in my head.

"_The window," _I heard Chase say.

I furrowed my eyebrows and turned my gaze to the only window in my room. There was nothing out there, nothing that I could see. But…the roof…

I slowly got up from my bed and walked towards the window thinking that maybe someone was out there on the roof. He could either be trying to warn me or…well there really is no other reason for him to tell me about the window, at least nothing I could think of at the moment.

My heart was beating faster and faster with every step closer that I got and when I finally managed to reach the window. Before I even dared to open it I looked to my left and then my right and my eyes widened in surprised at who I saw.

I quickly opened the window and glanced at my door to make sure my mother wasn't there and when the coast was clear I stepped out onto the roof with a huge dumbfounded look on my face.

"Chase?" I questioned just to be sure that it was really truly him.

He smiled and nodded his head.

"You're on my roof?" I said, dazed and confused at this point.

Again, he nodded. I sat down next to him and wondered why he even called me out here. I mean the only conversations we've ever had with each other was when I was in some sort of danger. Oh God, please don't tell me I'm in danger…

"Is there some specific reason as to why you're here?" I inquired.

"Actually there is," he soon replied.

"Ok…well what is it?" I could honestly say that I was hesitant to hear what he was going to say next. I really just hope that it's nothing bad.

"You can't explain what happened to you right before you passed out, correct?"

My eyebrows rose in confusion, "Yeah."

"And Carlisle's been telling you that you seemed to overpower Jane?"

I rolled my eyes, "Spit it out Chase. I'm not really a fan of twenty questions."

He chuckled, "Fine, but don't say I didn't warn you."

"I've been warned, now go on."

"The reason why you were able to overpower Jane was because you used your gift on her," he explained.

I felt like I was hit with a ton of bricks. Seriously this was all I needed right now. I supposedly have a gift? And I actually used it on Jane?

"Wait, how is that possible I-,"

"-You took her gift," he said simply.

I clamped my mouth shut and felt my head starting to spin. All sorts of thoughts running were through my head. Was he serious? I took her gift?

"How did I take it?"

He looked me straight in the eye and said, "You were able to concentrate enough to absorb it in a way where you could have her gift while she was left with nothing."

I shook my head in disagreement, "No, you have to be wrong. I can't have a gift I'm a human…"

"Being human doesn't necessarily mean that you don't have a gift. It just means that it's not as strong as it could be."

I really couldn't wrap my head around this. He was telling me that when I was in so much agonizing pain, I took her power. Is that really why I had a headache? Because I took her gift away from her?

"Ok…well let's say that I do have this…gift. What do I do with it exactly?" I brought my legs in close to my chest and rested my chin on my knees.

I listened closely to him, "You use it to your advantage. Now that you have Jane's gift you can use that. Or you could also absorb other gifts," he shrugged his shoulders.

"Please go slower Chase," I blinked, "I can't even fathom the fact that I have a gift right now. Do you really expect me to believe that I can actually use Jane's power?"

He half smiled, "You will learn how to use it. I will teach you."

And when he said that it hit me…hard. None of this was a lie. It's all real, all of it. I have a gift where I can supposedly absorb other vampire's gifts. And I somehow managed to do exactly that to Jane…

"Does this mean that I have to become a vampire?" I looked at him out of the corner of my eye.

"Not necessarily," he said to my relief, "We can help you strengthen it even as a human. Of course it will be difficult, a lot more difficult especially because you're a human, but we can still teach you."

I kept shaking my head back and forth, unable to stop. It was like I was in some sort of dream. A dream that you believe is way too weird to be real. But this was real and yet it was weird too.

"Jasper wanted me to tell you what your gift was as soon as possible," my head immediately shot up when he said that name, "He figured that you wouldn't understand it."

"He knew?" it hurt to talk about him. It made me wish that he was here right now.

Chase nodded and looked at me, "The night before the battle he questioned me about what was going to happen to you in the fight. And he asked me if I knew what was going to happen to him," I shuddered, "I didn't tell him exactly what his fate was, but I did let him know that there was something unexpected to come. The next thing I knew he was telling me to give this to you when I told you about your gift," Chase revealed to me an envelope with my name signed in Jasper's handwriting.

I stared at it for a couple of minutes before I grabbed it out of his hand. I felt tears starting to form in my eyes. To think that he knew what would happen to himself just makes me wonder how much I was really missing all along.

"Only open it when you're ready Vanessa," he told me.

I ran my finger over my name that was written by him in pen. I knew that I couldn't read this right now because I'm pretty sure that I would start balling after reading the first sentence. But it would be good to read it someday in the future so that this empty part inside of me could maybe be filled a little bit. I would settle for a letter…I would settle for anything at this point…

**i hoped you enjoyed it!!!**

**the next thing will be the epilogue which will be Jasper's letter to Vanessa i'm guessing....**

**thank you all for reading this story!!!! i love all of you!!!! :D **

**REVIEWW!!!**

**oh and there will definitely be a sequel i'm thinking**

**i have lots of ideas which include MORE:**

**Chase/the Guardians, Quileutes, Cullens, Zach, suspense, Seth and Vanessa of course, and lots of other stuff!!!!  
**


	33. VOTE! VOTE! VOTE!

Soo voting is finally opened for the twilight corner's fan fiction awards

and the link is in my profile! so check it out!

I'd really appreciate it if you liked the story that you would vote for it!  
thank you to all of my readers!!! You're the best! 


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